Brothers in Arms
by PokeTail
Summary: After being stolen from their home, Natsu and Gray must put their trust in one another and figure out how to escape from the slave camp they've been forced into. However, this will be no simple task as they find themselves in a scorching desert. With Gray's condition deteriorating, Natsu must do all he can to get them home before the heat becomes too much for his rival to bear.
1. Erza's Little Brothers

**Oh my gawd it's finally out. This one has been in the works for a while. I hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own FT. *cries***

* * *

A sixteen year-old Erza Scarlet sat with her legs dangling over the cliff located at the back of the guild, shoulders slumped and tears dripping into the azure lake below. The scarlet-haired teen clasped a small piece of paper in her shaky hands. It was something she held very dear to her heart. Reedus had drawn this especially for her around three years ago. A young Erza was stood tall and proud besides one of the guild's tables with her hands on her hips. Next to her, two boys sat boldly on top of the table. One boy had spiky pink hair with a white scaly scarf wrapped loosely around his neck, his dark eyes beaming with joy and his usual toothy grin plastered on his face. The other had messy black hair and wore his classic smug smirk; not to mention he was missing his shirt. Erza clenched tighter as the paper crumpled further. A choked sob escaped her mouth which in turn urged a certain blue bundle of flying fur to approach her.

"We will find them Erza, won't we?" A very sorrowful Happy fluttered down into the girl's lap.

"We're doing everything we can, Happy," another one of Titania's futile attempts at being strong. "Natsu and Gray will be alright. I'm sure of it."

Makarov watched the pair from a distance with an equal - if not more - amount of worry surging through his being. He only prayed that his boys hadn't gotten themselves in any serious trouble. It was hard enough when one of his children returned from a job sporting new injuries, but to have his brats forcibly taken from right under his nose was just too much to bear, and even he was beginning to have his doubts. It had been weeks and the only thing they had going for them was one or two tiny splashes of the boys' blood. _Please, you idiots better be alright_ , he prayed as a single tear fell down his cheek.

 ** _~~~ Three Weeks Earlier ~~~_**

The young S-Class wizard was making her merry way back to her beloved guild hall after a very successful job. Not only had she been given a hefty reward, but also a brand new set of amour. Erza had set out to defeat a beast that possessed incredible speed. To assist in the mission, her client had allowed her to borrow the Flight armour so that she would be able to keep up with her foe. Upon learning of her astounding victory, the gracious man just up and gave her the armour as a bonus. So she now strolled along the streets of Magnolia, smiling and waving to any passing locals. Nothing could possibly ruin this amazing day...

 **CRASH!**

"Really?!" Erza huffed. She hadn't even entered the building yet and could already tell which two wizards were causing the ruckus.

Bursting through the double doors, the red-head was met with frozen stools and charred tables. Many other guild members had taken refuge behind the bar or anything big enough to block the assault. Two boys stood in the middle of it all, bruised and panting for breath. Neither of them had even acknowledged their sister-figure's presence.

"Are you two fighting AGAIN?!" The requip wizard's voice boomed throughout the guild hall, spooking everyone in range of her terror.

"E-Erza?!" Both boys' stuttered, clinging on to each other for dear life.

"I... I didn't realise you would be back so soon?" Gray mumbled, barely able to form words thanks to his sudden onslaught of panic.

"That's what I was trying to tell you," Happy grumbled. "I saw Erza getting off at the station before, but you guys were too busy fighting to even listen!"

Erza's frown deepened, eyebrow furrowing. "I've told you two time and time again not to fight. You're supposed to be friends - family even!"

"We are f-friends, Erza," Gray attempted to protest, forcing a smile on his face. "We were just doing some training... Right Natsu?"

"A-aye," Natsu proclaimed, imitating his partner.

Erza sighed. "I have to go and drop some things off at Fairy Hill, but we're not through with this conversation." She dismissed the pair before returning to her luggage outside the building and marching towards the girls' dormitory.

"Quick, this is our chance to make a break for it," Gray whispered to Natsu which sparked an evil glint in his eye. Both boys laughed to each other before making a mad dash for the guild doors and charged towards the Eastern Forest.

* * *

Erza delicately folded her unused clothing and neatly placed them in the drawer whilst muttering to herself about her two foolish younger brothers. "I can't leave them alone for two seconds without them practically reducing the guild hall to rubble. When are they ever going to grow up?" The scarlet thought back to the last time she had caught the two knee-deep in another brawl. She'd ended up sending them both away on solo jobs whilst the girl repaired any damage that had been made to guild property. What annoyed her most was that Makarov had been present the entire time and had done nothing to stop the duo from throwing their fists at one another. Upon questioning the old man, the only response she was given was

 _"It's natural for families to lock horns every now and then, Erza. This is just how Natsu and Gray communicate with each other. Haven't you ever noticed how happy they are when they fight one another? And don't you worry yourself about the damaged property, it can easily be fixed."_

Erza still failed to see the point of how they found fighting one another so enjoyable; didn't they get enough satisfaction out of fighting on jobs? The girl huffed again before shuffling over to her scattered armour. She fashioned the gear around one of her spare manikins and admired her new addition to the collection. The red-head then picked up some paper and a pen out of the draw and began scrawling in her usual swirly handwriting. "Okay... So the Flight Armour gives me immense speed along with two swords and two knives. This should come in handy in the future." After noting down any other important aspects of the armour, Erza folded the paper nicely and attached it to the manikin. She was about to organise through the rest of her possessions when a brunette topless girl burst through the doors.

"Erza!" Cana gasped for breath. "You have to hurry! Natsu and Gray are..."

Erza's form went ridged and soon after both girls rushed back to the guild in a state of sheer panic.

* * *

Once the red-headed demon was out of range, Natsu and Gray had chased each other down to the Eastern Forest to finish their brawl. This way the pair could fight to their hearts' content without dealing any damage to the guild and once again having to deal with Erza's wrath.

"You're really in for it now, Popsicle Pants!" Natsu roared, igniting a flame in his clenched fist.

"Don't get so cocky, Flame Brain!" Gray retorted, launching his fist into his palm. "It'll be your downfall." The raven forced his hands to the ground, creating a thin sheet of ice that spread along the forest floor.

The pinkette skidded over to the nearest tree in an attempt to keep his balance, but alas, he wasn't fast enough and slipped over the frozen surface. "Ow! That hurt, you bastard!"

"You can do it, Natsu!" The small blue feline flailed, spiralling through the air.

"Karyū no," the boy inhaled sharply, puffing out his cheeks as he felt the fire spread through his being. "HŌKŌ!" Flames erupted from Natsu's throat and headed straight for Gray.

Acting upon instincts, the Ice Wizard brought his hands together and created a thick shield to defend himself from the blow. As much as he hated to admit it, Gray struggled to keep his shield intact due to his rival's intense flames that didn't seem to be letting up. Small chunks of ice chipped away as the red flames began licking the raven's pale skin. Just as his shield shattered and dissipated, Natsu too ran out of fuel and bent over, panting for breath.

Gray took this as an opportunity to strike. "Ice-Make: Hammer!" The icy weapon - that looked to be the same size as Natsu, if not bigger - came hurtling down above the teen. The pinkette barely had enough time to dodge and rolled out of the way just as it came crashing down.

"That was close..." He mumbled, wiping the sweat off of his brow.

"Yeah! You can do it Natsuuuuu!" Happy continued to cheer as the boys went head to head. The young Exceed scored through the air, but came to a sharp stop when a searing pain burst through his back and numbed all of his sense. "Natsu... I feel... Strange..."

The boys halted their onslaught of insults to witness Happy's form crumple to the ground. They both instantly turned their attention to the surrounding bushes, awaiting their opponents to reveal themselves. "Happy, you alright?" Natsu called over to his companion.

No response.

"Happy...?" His eyes darted over to the feline to see him unconscious with what appeared to be a needle in his back.

"Natsu, look out!" The next thing he knew, Gray had tackled him to the ground as another one of those needles shot through the trees, aiming at Natsu's neck. The boys then scrambled back to their feet.

Natsu ignited his fists and pointed them towards their attacker. When no one came out, the Fire Dragon turned to his rival to offer his gratitude. "Tha... Gray!"

The boy in question bore a look of discomfort on his face as he pulled out a needle from his shoulder. "What the..." Gray stared quizzically at the item before his muscles fell slack and he dropped backwards into Natsu's arms. "Ow..." The ice wizard's eyelids grew heavy as the increasing darkness pulled him into unconsciousness.

"Gray?!" Natsu panicked. "C'mon Gray stay with me." His heightened senses picked up a barely audible rustle of leaves and immediately sprang into action. "KARYŪ NO HŌKŌ!" He screamed, lighting up every tree in his wake.

"My, my, looks like we've got a feisty one on our hands," a deep masculine voice boomed through the burning forest. A gang of buff men emerged from the now crispy bushes and grinned menacingly at the young pinkette.

"Who are you?" Natsu growled, placing Gray gently on the floor as he rose into a battle stance. "And what did you do to Gray and Happy?!"

"Oh relax," one of the men chortled. "They're just unconscious. In a few hours they'll be fine."

"Now do us all a favour and surrender," another demanded in a calm manner.

"Never!" The Fire Dragon yelled, charging towards his new opponents.

The gang of men scattered, surrounding their target and his wounded friend, all clenching swords and other weapons tightly in their fists. Natsu threw one fiery punch after another at the two men in front of him. "Karyū no Yokugeki!" He cried, pushing the foes back through the trees. He was about to charge in after them when...

"Not another move, kid," a voice snarled.

Natsu's eyes widened in fear when he saw a man holding Gray up by the hair with a sword to his throat. "No don't!" The boy suddenly felt a sharp pain spread through his back and he dropped to the ground with a loud _thud!_ The last thing he saw before the darkness enveloped him was his raven haired rival being flung over a man's shoulder and Happy being kicked off further into the woods.

* * *

 **Whoo! Chapter one is done! So I do have chapter two finished, but I'm going back to my usual habits of having one chapter finished in advance before posting the previous one so stay tuned!**

 **I know I haven't been active much this year, but I'm working on it. Stuffs been happening and I just kinda shoved updating to the back of my mind, but I didn't stop writing and I don't plan on it any time soon.**

 **There's no telling when I'll update, but hopefully it shouldn't be too long of a wait.**

 **Anyone read the latest chapter? Be warned, I'm about to spoil.**

 **GILDARTS! He's back! And the guys are so close to the guild! I just know that as soon as they find Zeref, Gray will somehow find out about Natsu and then all hell will break loose. I can't wait!**

 **See ya in the next one! ;)**


	2. Meet Your New 'Master'

**Wahey! Chapter two is here baby! Enjoy!**

 **Oh, I forgot to mention in the last one that this takes place three years before the FT series began, hence Erza is sixteen, Gray's fifteen, Natsu's fourteen/fifteen? I like to think that Gray's the older of the two, though Natsu is gonna be more of a 'big brother' figure in this series.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own it.**

* * *

Cana was flicking through her deck of cards at her usual table with a newly filled mug of booze to her left. The brunette was practising her latest card trick, eagerly awaiting her best friend's return so she could try it out. Ever since Natsu had joined the guild, Gray had been getting more and more preoccupied with their constant brawls and their time together had lessened. Cana couldn't exactly blame him though, Gray had had to deal with the girls for years until another guy his age finally joined the guild, and she knew more than anyone that Gray enjoyed going head-to-head with other wizards at every opportunity. Sighing, the girl shook her head before taking a swig of her drink. _He'll be back soon_ , she thought as she shuffled through the deck once again.

How wrong was she?

The guild doors slowly, painfully slowly, creaked open and Cana's head shot up, hoping for it to be the shirtless Ice Wizard. However, she wasn't prepared for the wounded Exceed to tumble through the small crack in the doorway.

"Happy!" She heard Lisanna wail, followed by the thumping of multiple feet as they dashed towards their fallen friend.

"Lisanna be careful," her older brother warned. "He's got something stuck in his back." The Take-Over Wizard proceeded to cautiously pull the needle out from Happy's fur as the cat moaned in pain.

"Don't worry Happy; we'll get you into the infirmary. You'll be okay," the youngest Strauss smiled, though her eyes were brimming with unshed tears.

And then Cana asked the question that had been weighing on everyone's mind since the moment the blue bundle of fur collapsed at the doors. "Happy, where are Natsu and Gray?"

"I... I don't know. Th-they were figh-fighting and then some...thing hit me in... my back and I pas-passed out. When I woke up they were… gone," Happy slurred, fighting to keep himself conscious.

"Happy," the crowd of concerned wizards parted to reveal Master Makarov fashioning an expression of both anger and worry. "Where were Natsu and Gray fighting?"

"In... In the Eastern Forest."

"Right," Makarov's frown deepened. "Lisanna, take Happy to the infirmary. Cana, I want you to run over to Fairy Hills and inform Erza on what's going on. Everyone else, follow me into the Eastern Forest. They can't have gotten far."

* * *

Natsu immediately felt a sickening feeling in his stomach once he began regaining consciousness. The room he had been thrown in was shaking and shuffling, causing his motion sickness to surface. He went to bring his hands to his lurching stomach when he found them clamped firmly in place behind his back in what Natsu could only assume were magic-sealing cuffs. _Great_ , Natsu grumbled. _Looks like we won't be getting out of here that easily_. It was at this point that Natsu's mind finally caught up to reality and concern for his comrade boomed in his head. Squeezing his eyes shut momentarily, the pinkette finally pulled himself into a sitting position and scanned the room for his partner and rival. Happy was nowhere in sight and Natsu only prayed that the small cat had managed to get back to the guild and call for help. Gray, on the other hand, looked a little worse for wear. The raven remained unconscious with a ghastly purple bruise blemishing on his forehead. His lip was split at the corner leaving a small trail of blood seeping down his chin.

"Gray..." Natsu whispered to avoid any unwanted attention. He shuffled over to the shirtless teen and nudged him with his elbow. "C'mon Gray, you need to wake up so we can get outta here." The room jerked violently, causing Natsu to gag and fall back as his breakfast threatened to resurface.

"Don't count on you two getting out of here any time soon," Natsu rolled over to get a good look at his captor, but instead a black boot filled his vision and he rapidly returned into his unconscious state.

* * *

The two girls raced down to the Eastern Forest once Cana had informed Erza on the current circumstances. They were quick to find Makarov among other Fairy Tail wizards and joined in the search for their beloved comrades. The red-head insisted that they split up to cover more ground and the second she was alone, the tears finally began falling. Tendrils of tears flooded from her left eye and down her flushed cheek. There was no way the great Titania, Queen of the Fairies, could show this weakness to her other guild mates. She just prayed that Natsu and Gray would be safe; the girl just couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for their disappearance. She knew the boys well enough to know that they'd run out of the guild to escape another scolding session from her. Erza made a silent vow to bring her two younger brothers home no matter what happens. _Please boys, be safe. I'll find you!_

* * *

Natsu woke a second time to a forceful shove from his captors. The two wizards smashed into the ground, followed by the slamming of shutting bars. Recovering from his horrific vertigo, the Fire Dragon whipped his head around to witness a heavily built man snickering down at the duo before striding on his merry way. It was at this point that the pinkette finally realised that his hands were no longer locked behind his back. Unfortunately, the ligaments weren't exactly free as two tight metallic bracelets were clenched around either wrist, restricting the use of magic. "What the hell is goin' on?" Natsu sighed rubbing his head. He was almost positive that a large bruise had bloomed on his forehead to match his rival... _Gray!_

As if on cue, the raven groaned in pain before pulling himself up to meet his companion's concerned gaze. "Natsu?" He slurred, a puzzled look crossed his face. "Where are we? What's going on?"

"I wish I knew," Natsu scowled, glaring at the bars to their new home. "But they didn't take Happy so hopefully he got to the guild to find help."

"Great... Now we'll have to listen to Erza badger on about how we let ourselves get captured. As if we didn't have enough on our plate with her already," the Ice Wizard chuckled dryly.

"Well it's not like we got captured on purpose," Natsu protested. "Those bastards got the jump on us. When we get outta her imma kick their sorry asses... You okay?" Natsu turned to his rival to see the shirtless teen rubbing away and his temple and taking in rapid shallow breaths.

"I'm fine... It's just a little hot in here."

"I don't feel hot."

"That's because you're a hot-headed idiot."

"What did you say, Popsicle?!"

"You heard me, Pyro!"

"Now, now boys," the pair were snapped out of their oncoming fight by a captivating woman leaning casually on the bars. "I wouldn't be talking so loud if I were you. You wouldn't want to upset the guards... And the night guards are especially cranky."

Natsu gave her a quizzical glance before looking up to the single window in the cell. It was barred enough to prevent them from any possible escape attempts but still let thin rays of the setting sun pass through.

"Change into these," the woman continued, throwing two grubby white vest tops with black work pants through the bars quickly followed by two pairs of thick brown boots. "All slaves must wear the uniform so they can be identified." She winked at the teens before strolling away to flirt with the current on-duty guards.

Both boys turned to one another, silently agreeing to get their rest and begin their plan of escape tomorrow... Not like they thought they'd get any sleep, but they had absolutely no idea who they were dealing with, and with no magic to help, the young wizards would have to rely solely on their physical skills if they wanted any hope of freedom.

* * *

Makarov cursed to himself. They'd been searching for hours and no one had found anything that could remotely help them find their boys. They only thing they had going for them was the needle that had been previously lodged in Happy's back. He'd had Levy inspect the object multiple times, however, there was absolutely nothing that could help them. The guild master was feeling a mixture of concern and hatred. There was no doubt that Natsu and Gray were strong, some of the strongest members of the guild. So for them to have been captured was worrisome. The hatred burned for the lowlife's that had robbed the boys from their own home. It was one thing when one of his wizards got injured or captured whilst out on a job, though Makarov knew that he had no control over the circumstance. But the pair had been taken whilst off-duty and more importantly under his care. That fact alone was enough to make the man feel responsible for the brats' disappearance. If they had gotten injured - or worse - Makarov would never forgive himself. _Just hang in tight, you idiots. I'll get you home._

* * *

Natsu woke to a jolt of pain spreading through his muscles, sleeping on the floor was never comfortable. The pinkette pulled himself into a sitting position and stretched out his arms as a deep yawn escaped his lips. After finally rubbing his eyes clear, he'd found his rival sat with his back against the wall and knees pulled up to his chest. Isn't that how he left him? Gray eyes were closed, but it didn't take a genius to realise that the raven wasn't asleep. Natsu concluded to put this at the back of his mind, he was honestly surprised that he had gotten any sleep at all considering their current predicament.

"You awake?" He mumbled, still pulling himself out of his tired haze.

"Yeah," Gray croaked back, pushing his bangs away from his forehead which was lined with a thick layer of sweat.

"Did you get any sleep?" The Fire Dragon raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Gray retorted defensively. "I woke up about an hour ago"

Natsu was about to further question the Ice Wizard when doors slammed open and a booming voice resounded through the corridor. "Alright new recruits, today you will be presented to the Master and given your assignments so get your asses up and make yourself look presentable."

One by one, captives were torn out of their cells and dragged outside. The woman from the previous night approached the boys' cell and yanked the pair out by the collar of their shirts. They were thrown amongst the crowd of captives and directed towards the doors. After being forced down a number of corridors, the pack was led through one final door and into the outside world. Gray gulped in apprehension. The blazing sun was beating down on the firm desert surface without a drop of water in sight. The clear blue sky mocked the Ice Wizard as he began to feel a weird sense of claustrophobia upon viewing the vast, empty desert. The sheer heat alone was enough to make the raven feel trapped.

Natsu picked up on Gray's sudden tense posture and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder to try and snap him out of his daze. "Are you gonna be okay?"

Gray shuddered out a breath before responding. "I'll live," he shrugged.

The recruits were pushed along into a line as they waited for their new 'Master' to show himself. Natsu couldn't wait to see this guy's face and give him a piece of his mind. He just had to get payback after they were so rudely taken from their home; not to mention they had interrupted his and Gray's fight. The only person who ever did that without getting a punch to the nose was Erza. A scowl formed on the Fire Wizard's face as he clenched his fists in anger; however, he was pulled out of his burning rage when a sweaty hand squeezed on one of his wrists.

"Natsu we can't fight them now," Gray instructed. "There're tons of guards here, probably all with some sort of magic ability. We're defenceless as we are now. We need to think carefully before doing something rash."

Natsu was about to protest when heavy footsteps rattled the Earth and grew louder and louder. A very muscular man with greasy black hair that was swept back neatly emerged from the line of guards and inspected the new recruits. He wore a dark green dress shirt with a brown leather blazer. He also had long black trousers and a pair of brown leather shoes. The man walked with a cane as he twiddled his black moustache between his fingers.

"From now on you belong to me," he stated with a scowl. "You can forget about any family you once had, for that chapter of your lives is over. You now work for me. And for any of you stubborn bastards who think they can get away, this desert runs for miles, you wouldn't last a day out there on your own. I am you only chance of surviving out here." The man slowly marched passed each slave, eyeing the up and down one by one. He halted upon seeing the two young wizards and the hysterics began. "Are you serious?" He glanced at one of the guards nearby. "You have brought me mere children for this labour. What is this mockery?"

"But Master," a very timid woman spoke up. "Look at their guild marks. They're both wizards of Fairy Tail. It's said to be the strongest guilds in the country."

"Oh really?" He chuckled, turning to Natsu. "Well then, what type of magic do you use?"

"Like I'll tell yo-" The pinkette was brought to an abrupt halt when the man slapped him across the cheek.

"I'll ask you again, boy. What magic do you possess?"

"Fire Dragon Slayer..." He grumbled.

"Ahh, so you're the infamous Salamander of Fairy Tail? Didn't think you'd fall for a simple ambush." He then turned to Gray. "And what magic do you use?"

"Ice Creation Magic," Gray breathed, barely above a whisper.

The hysterics began yet again. "An Ice Wizard?! It'll be interesting to see how long you'll last. The only other Ice Wizard we've owned dropped dead within a day."

As the man walked away Natsu sent a pair of concerned eyes to his rival. He figured that Gray would be bothered by the heat, but he never imagined things could get that bad. Said raven narrowed his eyes as an _I'm fine_ gesture.

The upper-class man continued. "You will all be on the Transfer Team. You will be assigned into pairs and will push the carts from the mines back to the base. Each day you will be given one canteen of water to last your working hours. Speaking of, you will rise at six and work will finish at nine as the sun goes down. In the evenings you will be given glass of water along with a small loaf of bread before you will return to your cells for the night. Any disobedience will result in a punishment from your Commander. The Commander you are all assigned to is Ryota Nishimura."

A ginger-haired man with a fair amount of muscle walked forward. He was wearing a black waistcoat along with black jeans. His piercing red eyes shot daggers into his new play toys. The man cracked out his whip which began crackling with flashing yellow lightning.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, slaves!"

* * *

 **For people who don't read the manga stop reading this now.**

 **Invel! He's finally gonna do something, which means that we're finally gonna get to see Gray in a real fight. I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy his and Lyon's fight against Ur, but now Gray can finally fight a Spriggan. A lot of people have been saying that in chapter five hundred then E.N.D bomb will be dropped. Fairy Tail is getting so close to being over.! :'( *prays for sequel***

 **Also, today is the official release of the FT Stage Play on DVD in Japan. Man, I would kill to see it.**

 **Aaaaaaaaand, it was Fairy Tail's tenth birthday the other day. *cries* They grow up so fast!**

 **Welp... bye!**


	3. A Sense of Doubt

**Heyo! Chapter three is here. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Still don't own it...**

* * *

Natsu and Gray were squeezed onto a single cart among countless amounts of slaves and ferried over towards the mines. Ryota was casually sat at the front, holding the reins whilst the horses trotted on their merry way. The sun was intensely beating down upon the cracked desert floor, causing many of the slaves to groan in annoyance. It was times like this that the Dragon Slayer was thankful for his immunity to extreme weather conditions. A canteen filled to the brim with ice cold water was placed delicately on the pinkette's knees. Others had stupidly drunk the fluid it entirely, leaving them in a panicked mess, dreading the scorching hours of work ahead. There had already been an unsuccessful escape by one of the older slaves who leapt off the wagon and took a mad dash deeper into the desert. Ryota laughed heartily at the futile attempt before bouncing off the cart and snapping his lightning encrusted whip over the slave's back. The man twitched and screamed in agony as his form crumpled to the ground.

"This," Ryota proclaimed, "is what will happen to the rest of you if you disobey my orders. Take this as a lesson; do not anger your Commander."

The man was hauled back onto the cart as the surrounding slaves gave him concerned glances before returning to their own worries. Natsu turned to watch Gray. The Ice Wizard looked twice as pale as usual as more and more sweat trickled down his skin in a desperate attempt to stay cool.

"Gray, are you okay?" Natsu whispered, glancing over at Ryota, praying he hadn't heard.

"I'm fine," he dismissed, turning his head.

"Here," Natsu shoved his full canteen into his rival's lap. "You'll need this more that I will."

"Natsu I'm fine," Gray insisted. "I don't need your charity."

"Well you will when you keel over with heat stroke. Just take it."

Gray batted the offering away with a scowl plastered on his face. Natsu grumbled at the teen's stubbornness. _Fine_ , he thought. _If he drops dead it'll be his own fault_. The Fire Dragon's face instantly fell at the thought. No, there was no way Natsu would ever let it get to that point. He had a duty to his guild, his family, to protect them at all costs. And as much as the Ice Wizard annoyed the hell out of him, he was still a member of his family. They would both need each other if they wanted even the slightest chance to see their guild again.

* * *

A staggering eight hours had passed since they had been forced to begin working. Their job at this strange site was to transfer any of the crystals picked out of the ore back over to the main base of operations. The journey was long and exhausting. In the distance they could hear the ear splitting voice of their Commander barking orders and cracking his whip every time someone misbehaved. Natsu and Gray were currently stood with an empty wagon by the cave entrance, waiting for another load of crystals to be sent up from the dark chasms. The pinkette was drumming away at the handlebar in an attempt to preoccupy his mind instead of listening to others' screams as they were punished. Ryota had yet to pay the boys a visit, which left Natsu's mind in a wiz of apprehension and worry of any possible outcome.

Gray, on the other hand, was leaning heavily against the wagon with his eyes tightly shut and focusing solely on his breathing. To say it was hot would be an understatement. Gray felt like he had been thrown head first into a volcano clutching onto ten hot water bottles. He discarded his shirt long ago, but thanks to the blazing sun, the raven's skin felt as if it was cracking and chipping away like the desert floor. The raven thought that this feeling was similar to being strangled. His throat was beyond parched and no amount of water was going to change that. His lungs screamed in agony as his breaths had become more and more laboured throughout the day. He couldn't help but replay their so called 'Master's' words on a constant loop in his head.

 _The only other Ice Wizard we've owned dropped dead within a day._

Was that really true? Could Gray really die tonight? He highly doubted that he could survive on stubbornness alone. Natsu had been picking up on his uncharacteristic behaviour as well. Even Gray could tell that he had been in a somewhat trance-like state for the majority of the time they'd been here. The raven didn't want to see Natsu giving him pity and worrying for his wellbeing. He hated that. He hated seeing other people sad at his expense. It made him feel like an invalid. Like a vulnerable little child needing protection from a peer. It made him feel worthless.

"Gray?" Natsu urged, shaking his shoulder slightly. "Time to move."

"R-right," Gray slurred, wringing a hand through his mangled raven locks.

Both boys firmly gripped a hold of the handlebar and forcefully pushed onward. It was no lie that the mountain of crystals was more than heavy. It was barely enough having the two of them working at it, and they weren't the only ones struggling with the weight. Ryota had brutally whipped other slaves for going too slow, taking breaks or even complaining that their muscles were aching from the pressure. So the duo silently continued with their work. The road ahead was jagged, with more cracks and bumps than you could ever imagine. It was no surprise when Natsu picked up a quiet clutter as a chunk of the crystals tumbled off the cart. He was about to charge over and collect the rogue pieces before their Commander found now, but to no avail.

"What do you brats think you're doing dropping valuable resources?" He cracked his whip upon the tired boys, causing them both the drop to their knees, twitching in discomfort.

Natsu scurried over to the back of the cart, but was rapidly struck again as the whip tore through his shirt.

"You stay away from those crystals, Salamander. We don't want your grubby hands contaminating our prized possessions." The man pulled a pair of slick black gloves on and ever so cautiously placed the delicate item back on top. "Now get a move on, unless you don't want to be fed." Ryota grunted before turning back to badger another group of slaves.

The Fire Dragon glared daggers towards the Commander whilst slowly trudging back over to the front of the cart. He sent a quick glance at Gray and rolled his eyes. The raven was silent, despite a few ragged breaths every now and then. He had wrapped his arms firmly around his chest as more and more sweat trickled down his pale skin.

"Here," Natsu huffed, tossing his canteen. "I'll force it down your throat if I have to."

The teen grumbled as he unscrewed the top and downed the contents in one, tendrils of water leaking down his chin.

"Better?"

"Much," Gray forced a smile as he handed the canteen back. The pair nodded at one another before returning to their positions and continued pushing the cart back to the base.

* * *

The moon finally took over the darkened sky, much to the slaves' delight. The group of exhausted workers were directed back to the warehouse to receive their daily meal. Natsu and a Gray were squashed between countless other slaves, all desperate to fill their starving bellies. The pinkette gripped hold of his raven-haired rival to prevent getting lost in the sea of people. When the crowd dispersed, the boys found themselves in a gigantic room filled to the brim with tables and benches. Some slaves were sat with their single loaf of bread, picking away at the crumbs in order to saver the taste whilst others were chugging down what little water they had been given. The two Fairy Tail wizards shuffled over to the nearest table and collapsed into the seats. Natsu took one look at the tiny piece of bread before scoffing it down in one, stomach growling in satisfaction. Gray, on the other hand, stared down at the loaf as if it was mixed with some kind of poison. Natsu sent concerned eyes to his rival and nudged him slightly, only to receive a quick vacant glance as a response. The heat must be bothering him far more than he wanted to admit. The Fire Dragon had always known that Gray didn't deal with the sun that well (if last year's heat wave was anything to go by), but he had to at least eat something. He nudged the pale teen a second time only to get not the slightest bit of recognition. Sighing, Natsu turned to gaze longingly at his empty plate whilst his stomach gave another growl.

"Ya know, staring at your food won't make you any less hungry," a man chuckled. He held out his loaf of bread in front of the two boys, finally gaining a response from the Ice Wizard. Gray averted his eyes from the sickening meal to get a good look at the man's features. He was seemingly in his mid to late thirties and wore the same grubby attire as the rest of the slaves. The man was strongly built and dark stubble covered his chin and neck. He smiled at the duo with welcoming blue eyes. "Here. You kids'll need this more than I will."

"Are you sure?" Natsu drooled, stomach roaring like a feral beast.

"Take it," the man insisted. "I'm used to missing out the odd meal anyway." He took a seat opposite the boy's. "I'm Yori Ito."

"Thanks ol' man!" The pinkette sent a toothy grin his way before swiping up the loaf and quickly splitting it in two. "Here's your share Gray."

The raven focused his gaze on a clear section of the table and frowned. "I ain't hungry."

"C'mon, you've gotta eat something..." Natsu pouted.

"You're the Ice Wizard, right?" Yori questioned, earning a huff in response. "I know what you're going through kid, to some extent anyway."

This got their attention. "What d'ya mean?" Natsu raised an eyebrow.

He sighed. "I couple of years ago, I was visiting my older brother at his guild when we were ambushed by these bastards and captured. He was an Ice Wizard too. The heat just became far too intense for him to cope and he passed away overnight."

Gray took in a sharp breath, which immediately escalated into a coughing fit. The Salamander patted his friend on the back as some sort of comfort and Yori slid a glass of water over to the teen. He nodded as thanks and chugged down the contents.

"My brother was a stubborn one, I can tell you that," Yori rolled his eyes, attempting to lighten the mood. "I tried to offer him help throughout the day, but he always insisted that, as the older brother, it was his job to protect me and not the other way round... There's a part of me that believes he knew from the start that he wasn't going to last long out here and didn't want me to waste what little I had trying to save him."

The Fire Dragon's thoughts began running wild. _Does this mean Gray could... Die? There's no way I'm gonna let that happen. Fairy Tail would never forgive me if I returned to the guild without him. Who would I have to fight if Gray died? He can't die, he just can't!_

"All I'm saying, Gray," Yori continued, noticing their shared concern, "don't be afraid to accept help from the people around you. Having people by your side that care for you isn't a sign of weakness. The only way the pair of you are gonna survive here is if you stick together."

"Yeah," Natsu pumped his fists in determination. "And when Fairy Tail gets here we can blow this place to smithereens and get home."

"And who says Fairy Tail will even find us?" Gray mumbled, pushing his plate away.

"What?"

"Don't get me wrong, I have no doubt that everyone's searching like madmen as we speak, but who says they'll even find this place?"

"Of course they'll find us," Natsu protested. "Fairy Tail won't give up until the find us."

"Natsu, we don't even know where we are. The only one who would have a chance at tracking us is you."

Natsu opened his mouth to protest further, but Gray wasn't finished yet.

"If you haven't noticed Natsu, there are very few deserts in Fiore, let alone any remotely close to Magnolia. We could be in a completely different country for all we know."

"You think that matters?! No matter how far away we are, Fairy Tail will come through for us."

"I'm not gonna sit around and wait for someone to come save us," the raven grumbled, rising from his seat. "We've gotta find our own way outta here." The pale teen staggered over to the main doors where several guards stood in wait to return the slaves to their cells.

"Giving up so soon, Ice Wizard?" Ryota laughed, vigorously. "I won't be surprised if I don't see you working tomorrow. You," the man pointed at two of the guards in the far corner. "Escort slave 10739 to his cell."

With that, Gray was yanked by the collar out of the room.

"Stubborn bastard..." the pinkette muttered to himself, clenching his fists.

"Natsu," Yori placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. "Make sure you look after him. I'd hate to watch children of your age go through this, but to see the corpse of a child dragged out to the incinerator would be even more heart-breaking. You two need each other now more than you know."

Natsu nodded in silent agreement, watching the small figure of the Ice Wizard fade into the darkness of the corridor. With a sigh, the Salamander turned back to his plate and absently picked at the extra loaf he'd be given. It would be a waste to just leave it, right?

* * *

 **I'm sorry to say that I won't be updating next week as I'm going on a family trip and won't have access to the internet. HOW WILL I SURVIVE?!**

 **Spoilers for the manga... you've been warned.**

 **HOLY SHIT! FINALLY GRAY VS INVEL IS HERE! Buuuuuuut... there's no chapter next week. Just as well really, knowing that the chapter I've been waiting ages for is out and I can't read it would eat away at me for the entire trip.**

 **So, I guess I'll see you all again in two weeks. (I'm sorry) ;)**


	4. The Escape Plan

**Sooooooo, I'm back from the worst holiday ever. Ten hour car journey there are back and I barely got any writing done so now I'm behind** **schedule. Aaaaand college starts up again in two weeks and I am severely unprepared... Joys.**

 **Anywho, enjoy this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: One day...**

* * *

Gray was far more content inside his cell. Thankfully, the desert was a lot cooler at night... Though it was still too hot for his liking. Regardless, the raven thought it was in his best interests to at least try to get some sleep. He lay on the stone floor for almost an hour until his eyelids finally began drifting close. _At last, some peace_ , he thought. How wrong was he?

 _He was running. It was the only thing he could think to do. The flames that coated his village were intoxicating as buildings continued to burn and crumble into nothing. The once cold, snowy village was now consumed by the flames straight from hell. But he kept running, because what else could he do? His Mother was gone, burnt to a crisp by the flames of that monster. Gray could still feel the rogue flames licking his face, almost taunting the boy. So he ran. He ran in the direction in which he prayed to find his Father. "DAD!" the boy cried as a blur of raven hair amongst the flames came into view._

 _"Gray?!" Silver cried over Deliora's accursed roars. "What are you still doing here? You and your Mother should have evacuated by now!"_

 _Gray immediately launched himself into the loving embrace of his Father. "Mum's dead," he wailed, tears pouring down his rosy cheeks. "Deliora killed her."_

 _Silver fell silent. No, it couldn't be? His wife couldn't really be gone? And his son had had to watch it happen. The poor boy would be even more traumatised, as if the demon and flames weren't enough. Tears pricked in his eyelids, but Silver quickly banished them. No, he had to be strong for his son. "Gray, look at me," Silver's voice shook as he placed a hand on the boy's flushed cheeks. "I'm going to get you out of here, you hear me? You've got nothing to worry about. Everything will be fine."_

 _Suddenly, the demon let out an aggressive howl after discovering its new prey. Two raven haired males, both stricken with grief and sadness, fitting victims for the demon of destruction._

 _"Gray, run!"_

 _"Wha-ˮ_

 _"Don't argue, just run!"_

 _More tears ran out of Gray's eyes as he took off again, racing off in the direction he came. Silver turned to see the foot of the demon, inches away from his form. Crap, he had failed his son, his wife and the entire village. Bowing his head in acceptance his whispered "I'm sorry," before the hand of the demon struck and he was flung into the air._

 _Landing right_

 _In front_

 _Of his son._

 _"D-Dad…" Gray stuttered, falling back into a sitting position. "No…"_

 _Once again, the demon roared as it began marching over to the only living thing it could find. Gray was too occupied staring at the motionless form of his Father as he stared back with unblinking eyes to notice the oncoming attack. He felt his left arm crunch under the force of Deliora's arm and the small boy was sent crashing into a nearby building, only to have it topple over, crushing the child even more. The scorching flames once again danced around Gray, mocking him for his pathetic state as his vision slowly faded to black._

* * *

As everyone finished eating, guards filled the room and began dragging slaves back into their cells. Natsu wound up being dragged back by Ryota himself as the man grabbed a shock of the teen's hair ruggedly pulled him through the darkened corridor. An audible chuckle barely escaped the slave driver's mouth as he threw the wizard back into the confined space.

"Now make sure you get a good night's sleep," he pointed out with an evil grin. "We wouldn't want you slacking off during tomorrow's workload would we?" He tugged on his whip and watched in satisfaction as Natsu shuffled back slightly at the sight of the weapon. Ryota laughed, strongly this time, as he exited the hallway.

Natsu whispered a number of curses as he heard the door slam shut. Growling, the Fire Dragon kicked the bars in annoyance before calling over to his comrade. "Gray, you up?"

No response.

"Gray?" Natsu slowly turned his head, eyes adjusting to the darkness, and found his raven haired rival wrapped up in a foetal position, his shirt thrown across the room. Thick beads of sweat tumbled down his pale form, yet the wizard was shivering. Gray's cheeks had turned a deep shade of red that could easily rival Erza's scarlet locks. Natsu slid over to Gray's side and began shaking the older boy, praying for some sort of response. God, his skin felt like he was on fire! And was that... tears he saw seeping out of the Ice Wizard's eyelids? "Gray... C'mon Gray you gotta wake up. Gray... GRAY!"

The Ice Wizard shot up and clonked his forehead against Natsu's before falling back to the ground in pain. "Natsu, what the hell?!"

"Gray, you looked like a fish outta water," Natsu stated, rubbing his temple.

"Yeah I feel like it too..." He grumbled, dabbing his sweat ridden body with his grubby shirt.

"What?" Natsu asked, despite the fact he knew perfectly well what the raven had said.

"N-nothing..." Gray stuttered. "I'm fine."

Natsu sighed; did Gray think he was an idiot? Not one minute ago was Gray trembling with tears streaming down his face. Not exactly what Natsu would call 'fine.' The Ice Wizard didn't look much better now either. The teen's eyes were glazed over as he took in deep breaths in an attempt to calm his breathing. Definitely not fine. "So what? D'ya have some kinda mad fever dream?" He wasn't going to lie; that probably wasn't the best way to address the situation, but if Gray was going to be his usual stubborn and distant self then Natsu would be his usual humorous and teasing self.

"Well aren't you hilarious?" Gray smiled sarcastically, wringing his hands through his hair.

As much as the Fire Dragon wanted to press further on the Ice Wizard's dream, he knew Gray more than enough to know he'd never get an answer. Sighing once again, Natsu slowly lay himself down on the cobblestone flooring. "Might as well get some rest. We're breaking out tomorrow," he whispered, sending a toothy grin towards his rival.

"Right..." Gray mumbled, sliding back down onto his back. "Night Flamebrain."

"Night Popsicle."

Gray waited until Natsu's breaths dulled into a quiet snore... Well, quiet for him. The raven took a quick glance over to his rival to confirm that he was indeed sleeping before pulling himself back into a sitting position. He then pushed himself over to the wall and pulled his legs up to his chest. There was absolutely no way Gray was going to sleep now. The night was the only time he could feel remotely cool; it was still hot as hell but this was nothing compared to the intensity of the daylight. There was no doubt in his mind that even if the Ice Wizard tried to sleep, he would be thrown back into a world of flames and corpses whilst the demon that ruined his life would torment him further. Their supposed 'Master's' words still rung through his mind.

 _The only other Ice Wizard we've owned dropped dead within a day._

Those words had filled him with a small sense of dread ever since they began working here, but now he was downright terrified. The man they'd met earlier - What was his name? Yori? - had mentioned that the Ice Wizard had been his older brother. If a grown man had died in one day then what was going to happen to him? Gray was honestly surprised that he hadn't collapsed of heat stroke yet. He only hoped that Natsu was as confident in escaping as he made himself out to be, because the longer Gray sat here, the more he doubted their chances at freedom. It scared him how quickly this heat was driving him to give up.

* * *

Another day of searching had ended in failure. The majority of the guild members had either gone home to rest or were travelling overnight to neighbouring towns in hopes they had found anything, though Makarov insisted that the wizards from the younger generation remain in Magnolia in case of any more possible attacks. Erza sat alone at the bar, circling her finger around an empty glass.

"Need a refill?" A quiet voice asked.

Erza glanced up to find a surprisingly sober Cana stood behind the bar.

"Please," the red-head brushed her bangs aside, returning her gaze to the table.

"They'll be okay, Erza," the brunette stated. "Natsu and Gray are stubborn as shit. Wherever they've ended up, they'll be okay."

Titania remained silent.

"That is if they don't kill each other in the process," Cana chuckled in attempt to lighten the mood.

"That's what I'm worried about..." Erza muttered, chugging her freshly poured beer.

The Card Wizard rolled her eyes and slowly removed the glass from her friend's hand. "Erza, you're exhausted," Cana motioned to the dark bags under the girl's eyes. "Go home and get some rest. We'll start searching again first thing tomorrow. You're not gonna be any help to them if your sleep deprived and hungover."

Admitting defeat, Erza staggered out of the guild hall and towards Fairy Hills knowing fully well that she wasn't going to get any sleep that night.

* * *

Natsu hadn't exactly had what you would call peaceful sleep. Questions rung throughout his mind has he tossed and turned on the rocky ground. _What if Fairy Tail couldn't find them?_ _What if they couldn't escape?_ _What if they were stuck here forever?_ _What if Gray died?_ It honestly annoyed Natsu how much he cared for the raven all of a sudden; the pair hated each other! He was fire and Gray was ice, the two elements didn't exactly see eye to eye. So why in the hell was the Salamander caring so much? He wasn't... Worried was he? As soon as the pinkette was pulled out of sleep, his first thought of the day was to check that his rival was indeed alive. Sure enough, the Ice Wizard was with his back pressed against the wall and knees pulled up to his chest. Dark bags hung from Gray's eyes and his completion had paled further.

"Did you get any sleep?" Natsu questioned.

"Yeah, I woke up a few minutes ago," the raven mumbled, refusing to meet the other's gaze.

Natsu frowned, an annoying sense of déjà vu popping into his mind. "You're not just saying that are you?"

Gray was about protest - or at least attempt to - when a gruff voice resounded off the walls. "Alright slaves get up and get to work."

The teens both scrambled to their feet as soon as their bars were heaved open and shuffled out into the mass crowd of workers. Each individual parted off into their teams to receive orders from their Commander. Thankfully, Ryota seemed to be a little preoccupied punishing a frail looking woman for refusing to leave her cell.

"Okay," the pinkette began, whispering over to the Ice Wizard. "I have a plan to get us out of here so just follow me and try not to get caught, got it?"

"Right," Gray sighed, ruffling through his dark hair.

The plan wasn't exactly what you would call 'well thought out.' It was more like a theory the Fire Dragon had come up with that had a fifty percent chance of working out in their favour. First they would wait for Ryota to get distracted, then - whilst the transfer team are getting their carts reloaded - the pair would run off into the mines and find a good spot to hide and finally - when Ryota came running after them - they would escape the mine and head straight for the slave driver's horses. Sure, neither of them knew how to ride a horse... But how hard could it be? As long as it took them as far away from the desert as possible, that was good enough for Natsu.

So just as the day before, Natsu and Gray hopped onto the cart and listened to their Commander barking orders.

"I'm impressed you're still alive, Ice Wizard," he chortled, pulling each slave off the cart by their collar.

Both Fairy Tail wizards snarled towards the ginger-haired male before shuffling over to the nearest wagon. It took at least three hours until Natsu had finally found and opening. Ryota had been constantly staring at them like a hawk does his prey. So both wizards bee-lined into the mines and snuck into a small crevasse to hide in the shadows.

"This is your brilliant plan?" Gray whispered with a tone of annoyance.

"Just trust me," Natsu hushed. "We just need to wait until that bastard comes looking for us and we can sneak away."

"At least we're out of the sun," the raven sighed, wiping his brow.

The duo remained in silence. Natsu watched guard for any sign of their Commander whilst Gray relished in the slightly cooler air of the shadows. The pinkette could have sworn that's they'd been sat there for an hour with no sign of Ryota anywhere; Gray had even nodded off. Maybe that ginger-haired bastard just didn't care? But considering the amount of time the man spent ridiculing them, it was very doubtful. Of in the distance, Natsu could see a multitude of mine carts transporting the glistening crystals to the cave entrance. Just why were they so set on collecting these things? Sure they looked appealing, but did they really have a use? Maybe they were valuable? So far no one had an explanation for why this stuff was being collected or where it went after it was taken back to the main base. The Salamander's ears perked up at the sound of a pebble being kicked along the rocky path. He quickly nudged the Ice Wizard and then the pair peeped out of their hiding place, waiting for the shadow form of the Commander to come into view, but it never did.

"Ya know you're not the first to come up with this little scheme."

The boys' forms went ridged at the sound of that sickening voice. They slowly turned around, anguish and fear stricken on their faces as they were met with the menacing grin of Ryota Nishimura.

"Why hello again boys," he chuckled, reaching down to his whip.

They both blacked out.

* * *

 **I realised upon writing this chapter that I appear to have a obsession with writing Gray's nightmares. In everyone of my multi-chaptered Gray-centric fics (even some that haven't been released yet) have a chapter in which Gray has a nightmare. And it's always the SAME one of Deliora killing his parents. Really original PokeTail... Good job.**

 **THE CHAPTER! HOLY CRAP THE CHAPTER! Oh spoilers BTW.**

 **Anyone else looking forward to when Gray's darkness is unleashed? 'Coz I am! I have a theory as to what I think/want to happen.**

 **So currently Gray and Juvia are being forced to fight to the death and have no control over their actions. It's pretty obvious (even to Invel) that Gray would win the fight. Chances are that he'll end up fatally wounding Juvia causing her to pass out and give Gray the impression that he's just killed Juvia. This will unleash Gray's darkness and he'll go psycho against Invel. But Invel, being the icy bastard that he is, will either drop the E.N.D bomb (more likely) or put another Ice Lock on him so that he's forced to become his ally. Either way, we're gonna get Evil!Gray. Irene will finish extracting Fairy Heart from Mavis and then Zeref and the Spriggan will hightail it back to Alvarez, taking Gray with them. Natsu and Lucy will rush to Juvia's side and discover that she isn't dead (surprise surprise). All thanks to the Tenrou Tree that is now attached to Fiore thanks to Irene casting Universe One so no Fairy Tail wizard can die as long as their in Fiore. This should set up for a lot of angsty goodness in the future with Evil!Gray vs END!Natsu which I think will end up being interrupted (hopefully by Gildarts for the Ice Trail reference or Juvia and maybe even Lyon just 'coz I love him so much). He'll eventually come back to his senses and help with the final battle.**

 **If anyone else has some interesting theories please let me know. I loooooooooove hearing them!**


	5. Severe Punishment

**Greetings all, it's that time of the week again! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: If I did own it, a certain someone would still be alive... *sobs***

* * *

It took a few minutes for Natsu's eyes to finally adjust after he regained consciousness. Through his blurred vision, he could have sworn that he was back in their usual cell. Everything about it was the same; the same stiff metallic walls, the same grubby rock ground. The only difference was that, instead of the usual steel bars, a strong metal door took its place and blocked any light from entering the confined space.

"Rise and shine, kid," a feminine voice sung, snapping him out of his daze.

A bulb slowly flickered to life above the pinkette's head and a woman slid into the dim light. It was same woman they'd met when they first ended up in this mess. Her dirty blonde hair swayed from side to side as she strolled towards him. "Honestly, your plan wasn't very well thought out, was it?"

Natsu refused to give the revolting woman a response as his eyebrows furrowed into a scowl. He went to move away but was shocked to find that his limbs had been firmly strapped down to a chair. The Fire Dragon struggled with all his might, but the damned ropes just wouldn't budge.

"Oh, a feisty one, aren't we?" She giggled, twirling a rogue strand of hair between her fingers.

"Where's Gray?" The Dragon Slayer hissed. "Where did you take him?"

"Oh, your little raven friend? Ryota felt the need to deal out his punishment himself, leaving me to deal with you however I see fit," she winked at the vulnerable boy and took a sip out of her canteen.

Natsu watched as stray tendrils of water trickled down her chin. It was only at this point did the teen realise just how thirsty he was. Droplets splashed onto the rocky surface, as if they were taunting him and his eyes widened in desperation. The thought of getting some water down his throat gnawed away at him, causing Natsu to bite his lip hard enough to pierce the skin and stained his teeth a nasty red.

The woman noticed this and giggled.

"Oh are you thirsty?" She asked in a seemingly innocent manner. "Well, we can certainly fix that."

Suddenly, two guards were behind him and rocked his chair back so that Natsu was staring into the light. One of them placed a cloth over his face and the next thing he knew, his lungs screamed for oxygen as the men poured rivers of water over him.

* * *

Gray was given quite the rude awakening as a rough hand swiped across his right cheek, snapping his vision into focus. He slowly lifted his head and was met with the same maniacal grin of Ryota that he saw before falling unconscious. Why was he unconscious again? Honestly, the heat had been messing with his head so much that he could barely remember how he'd ended up in this place. Wasn't Natsu with him?

"Took ya long enough, Ice Wizard," Ryota chuckled, fiddling with his whip.

"Wha... Haa... Yu..." He tried as much as he could to form some sort of sentence, but the intensity of the heat had completely drained away any strength he once possessed. The bindings were practically pointless at this point; there was absolutely no way Gray would even think about trying to escape.

"I warned you and your little friend that you would be severely punished for going against my orders and believe me when I say that I never go back on my word," Ryota snarled.

"Wh... Where's... Na... tsu?" The raven slurred.

"Oh you'll be reunited with him soon enough, but first," the slave driver smirked as he reached for the handle of his whip and snapped the leather on Gray's bare chest.

The Ice Wizard screamed in agony as bright red welts blemished all over his skin with each crack of the whip. His body twitched and trembled against the restrains when the lightning buzzed through his veins. Ryota's laughter grew even more sadistic the more he launched his whip at the teen. It wasn't long before the sheer force of the whip sliced the rickety chair into pieces, sending Gray's beaten form tumbling to the ground. He struggled with all his might to remain conscious as he attempted to push himself up from the ground. For a brief moment he'd forgotten the ginger slave driver was even present until a harsh whip to his back sent him crashing back down. The teen's breathing had become strained and he began choking on his own saliva. He could still feel the burning rays of the sun beating down on his mauled skin.

"Now, now you can't die yet Ice Wizard," Ryota boomed, laughing like a maniac. "The fun's just getting started!"

* * *

To say Happy was anxious would be an understatement. Makarov had insisted that the young feline remain in the infirmary and rest. The needle that had shot him had been meant to render the two quarrelling boys unconscious, so when Happy took the full dosage, it made things a lot worse. The Exceed had been in the infirmary for two days now and he still felt completely drained. He still couldn't use the slightest bit of magic and that annoyed Happy to no end. He should be out there searching with the rest of them. He was right there with Natsu and Gray when the attack happened and he was so helpless, so useless. What good was he being Natsu's partner if he couldn't even help him in a fight?

"This isn't your fault Happy, you know that right?" A high pitched voice reminded, pushing the door wide open.

"Lisanna, did you find anything?" Happy questioned, though the answer was obvious through the frown on her face.

"Not yet," she sighed, disappointment evident in her voice. "But we will, Happy. I'm sure of it."

"Why would anyone want to take them away? What if they're injured? What if they're dead?!" The blue feline continued to ramble.

"Happy, we may not know where they are but I can tell you one thing for sure. Natsu and Gray are still alive out there. People wouldn't have taken them just so they could kill them. Whatever they wanted those two for, they wanted them alive. We will get Natsu and Gray back home and they will be safe because... Because they're Fairy Tail wizards and Fairy Tail doesn't give up so easily!"

Happy smiled, wiping away the tears he didn't realise were falling. Lisanna was right. Of course she was right. No Fairy Tail wizard would go down without a fight and Natsu was the strongest wizard Happy knew. With him and Gray working together, they would be unbeatable. He just had to have faith that his partner would come home to him as he always had done.

* * *

It was a few hours before the boys had finally been relieved of their torture. The other slaves had already been sent in for the night and had gathered in the warehouse for their daily meal. Natsu and Gray manoeuvred themselves over to a table in the far corner of the warehouse; both too shaken up to even speak. The pinkette began nibbling on his small loaf of bread whilst staring at his glass of water in distaste. Just the thought of any form of liquid sent him into another coughing fit, though his concerns didn't lie with himself at the moment. No, his concerns lay fully with Gray. The raven's form was still trembling and his skin was littered with disgusting red welts. He had wrapped his arms around his stomach with a look of discomfort on his face.

"You alright?" Natsu muttered between nibbles.

"'M fine," Gray dismissed, his voice shaking.

Natsu sighed. Same old response. Just as the day before the Ice Wizard was refusing to take so much as a bite out of his bread, though he was taking small sips of his water every now and then. That had to be a good sign right?

"You've gotta eat something Gray."

No answer.

"You'll need all of your strength for our next escape plan," Natsu whispered, nudging the raven slightly.

Gray sighed. "I hope you've thought this plan though, unlike that mess from this morning." He reluctantly picked up the loaf of bread with shaking hands and began taking the tiniest nibbles.

"Trust me, this next one is gonna work for sure!"

"Good luck with that."

Natsu cursed under his breath. Damn, that bastard really had a knack for showing up at the worst possible moments.

"No one has ever escaped from this place and no one ever will," Ryota remarked with his signature grin. He then strode over to Gray and yanked him out of his chair. He gave a very satisfied chuckle when he watched the boy attempt to keep himself upright on shaky legs. Gray's grip around his stomach tightened and Natsu could have sworn that his face turned green.

"Well someone's looking a little worse for wear," Ryota laughed. "Could it be today that your feeble little body finally keels over? Only time will tell."

"Leave him alone, Ryota," Natsu growled, clenching his fists.

"That's Commander to you," the man snarled. "Besides, what could either of you possibly do about it?"

Gray's form trembled rigorously before he lurched forward and lost the very little contents of his stomach and they splashed at Ryota's feet. All eyes turned to them as slaves and guards alike smiled at the Commander's displeasure. Even Natsu couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. _At least Gray still had his comedic timing_ , he thought with a smirk.

And that's when things took a turn for the worse.

"YOU BASTARD!" Ryota roared, cracking out his whip and slashing the boy's chest.

Gray grunted in pain as he collapsed onto the floor, body twitching as lightning crackled around his limbs and his stomach continued to do flips. Natsu rushed to his side and pulled his rival's fragile form into a warm embrace; doing anything he could to sooth his friend. The pinkette shot daggers at their so called 'Commander,' almost daring him to strike a second time.

"I'M GONNA DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO KEEP YOU ALIVE AND MAKE YOUR ENTIRE EXISTENCE A LIVING HELL, YOU BRAT!" He lifted his whip a second time and Natsu immediately shielded Gray with his own body, preparing for the impact.

It never came.

A chorus of gasps erupted from the warehouse and Natsu turned to see Yori standing proudly in front of the two young wizards with clenched fists. Ryota was holding his cheek, he face contorted in pain.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size, Ryota," Yori scowled, stepping towards the ginger slave driver so that their foreheads were almost touching.

"You insolent rat! You all need to be taught respect!" The man unleashed his whip for a third time but came to an abrupt halt when voice boomed from the warehouse entrance.

"RYOTA!" The Master marched forward and dragged the man away from the inevitable brawl. "That slave does not work under your command. Now return to your quarters. We will discuss this matter in the morning." His attention averted to the gathering of slaves. "As for all of you, the guards will be taking you back to your cells for the night." With a huff, the wealthy man turned and ushered the crowd to part so he could make his exit, quickly followed by a very pissed off Ryota.

Yori dropped down next to the Fairy Tail wizards and quickly checked over Gray for any injuries. "You okay kid?"

Gray was still huddled in Natsu arms, clinging to his shirt as if his life depended on it. He ever so slowly twisted his head towards their saviour and attempted a nod. Even the slightest of movement caused the raven a world of pain.

"C'mon back to 'yer cells!" One of the guards snarled, ushering Yori to his feet.

"Take care of him Natsu," the man reminded before being dragged away.

"Old Man!" Natsu called, causing Yori to halt in his tracks. "Thanks!" He gave the man a toothy grin before turning his attention back to Gray. He was breathing heavily after the initial shock of lightning had died down. His limbs trembled with the slightest of movement and his eyes were glazed over.

"Gray... Hey," Natsu shook his rival, praying for any sort of response.

"Nat... Tsu..." That was enough for him. The pinkette scooped up Gray in his arms and scooted off to their cell before they could be dragged there by the guards.

* * *

 **So... Anyone else read the manga?**

 **Holy crap that double suicide killed my feels. Now I'm not really fussed over the ships (the characters can get with whoever they want and I'll be happy) but that doesn't mean I'm not a fan of Juvia. She's one of my favourite FT girls along side Cana and now she's gooooooooone! :'(**

 **Now a lot of people have been saying that she's not really dead and will come back in a few chapters and while I wish she wasn't dead... I kinda want her to stay that way now. There have been quite a few 'almost deaths' *cough* Gray *cough* and I think it's about time that we have another permadeath since it's been a very long time since someone important has actually died, not even Ultear is dead yet and it's been a year since she used Last Ages. If you read the last chapter, my theory was that the Tenrou Tree would save Juvia's life, but considering the transferred all of her blood over to Gray, I don't see that happening anymore.**

 **I honestly thought Hiro was done with torturing Gray after the whole Silver scenario, but nooooo. Yet another love in his life has sacrificed themselves for his sake. Poor guy can't catch a break.**

 **I'd laugh/cry if there were some drastic side effects to the Blood Transfusion Magic and Juvia and Gray didn't have the same blood type or something.**

 **On a happier note, I'm so hyped up for the next chapter Fire & Ice! Invel is doomed!**

 **Now if you'll all excuse me, I'm off to cry in a corner until next Monday when chapter 500 gets released... Wait college starts on Monday?**

 **AH SHIT!**


	6. Yori's Revelation

**We meet again! Enjoy this chapter... I have the terrible feeling you're all gonna hate me soon.**

 **Disclaimer: ...**

* * *

Days passed into weeks without any succession in escaping. They'd tried everything. Hijacking horses, stealing supplies from guards, they'd even tried sneaking onto the wagon that transferred the crystals into town. Each and every escape attempt had been thwarted by their pain-in-the-ass Commander. And each and every escape attempt had ended in another agonising torture session. As a result, Natsu and Gray spent most of their time apart and the small section of time they had together didn't consist of much talking. Gray was far too beaten and exhausted to lift so much as a finger and even Natsu had to admit that all of this had taken a toll on him too. The pinkette had finally put his ridiculous escape attempts on hold, but by no means was he giving up. He just wasn't thinking hard enough. There had been a loophole in every single one of his plans and Ryota had always found a way to use that to his advantage. He'd just have to plan things out a bit better, checking that even the finest of details were fool proof. The plan needed to be flawless. Unfortunately, the increase in workload, occasional torture and Gray's deteriorating health were taking up any planning time. The raven was barely able to stand on his own two feet, let alone push five times his own weight across the scorching desert.

"Rise and shine you worthless bastards," a guard called, hauling the bars open.

Natsu groaned. All he wanted was a decent night's sleep. The pinkette stifled a yawn before groggily making his way over to his rival and helping him up on his feet. Gray was still half asleep and had been for the entire week. Not exactly sleeping but not exactly awake either. No matter what Natsu said or did, nothing was breaking Gray out of his trance-like state. Nevertheless, Natsu continued to keep a keen eye on the other's condition praying for any kind of response. The only thing he'd managed to pick up on was that Gray was no longer sweating rivers; that had to be a good sign, right? Draping one arm over his shoulder, Natsu held the Ice Wizard up by his waist and they both hobbled into the crowd of slaves. They each collected their miniature canteens and staggered over to their Commander.

"Looking dreadful as usual boys," Ryota greeted with his usual smirk.

The old Natsu would have growled towards the older man and retorted in some manner. Now he knew better. The pinkette no longer even acknowledged the slave driver's harsh remarks; he had more important things to think about like how to get the hell outta here. It had been quite a few days since he'd had another planning session and as they travelled back over to the mines, Natsu's mind began doing flips. _They've got to get their supplies from somewhere right? Maybe we could sneak away then? But if the guards did as thorough of a check as they did when transporting the crystals, there's very little chance of getting away with that._ The Fire Dragon continued to muddle several different plans around his brain, however there was always the tiniest of flaw to each and every one. Eventually, the slaves were ruthlessly yanked off the wagon and they all skittered off to their usual posts. Natsu carried Gray over to their designated cart and carefully set him down against the wooden structure. Out of the corner of his eye, Natsu saw Yori amongst another group of slaves heading into the mines. He took a quick glance Natsu's way before offering a half-hearted smile. The pinkette tried to smile back, though it came out as more of a grimace than anything. The duo waited a good while before the first load was backed onto their cart. Natsu sighed before pulling Gray back up on his feet and letting the raven lean on his side whilst he pushed the cart along the rocky path. He could feel his rival's slow ragged breathing tickle his skin and sending shivers down his spine. It had really started to scare Natsu how bad Gray's condition had become. It was a miracle in itself that he hadn't keeled over yet, but the Salamander couldn't help but worry that the time may come when Gray wouldn't be able to withstand this heat any longer. He wasn't afraid to admit it anymore. He didn't want to lose his best friend, his brother.

Yori turned back towards the mines and frowned. He couldn't watch two young boys slowly wither away in this hellish camp. Surely there was something the man could do to help them.

"C'mon you bastards, we got work to do," his Commander's howling voice echoed off the walls of the cave.

Groaning in annoyance, Yori grabbed a hold of his tools and followed his map down deep into the mines. The slave was equipped with a strong iron pick axe and a pair of brown leather gloves. It was mandatory for any miner to wear the gloves, yet no one had given an explanation as to why. Yori and the rest of the slaves wasted no time in getting to work. The team began hacking away at rock and gravel whilst their Commander breathed down their necks. At least he still had a way to vent his anger. With every clang of metal against stone was more and more rage leaving his system that had been gradually building up every day he remained in this hellhole. It was a good distraction from the lack of food, not to mention the more than uncomfortable sleeping arrangements. And before he knew it, seven hours had already passed. _Time flies when you enslaved in the desert,_ Yori chuckled dryly, wiping his brow. He turned around and took a sigh of relief when he noticed his Commander taking his usual midday nap. _Finally,_ Yori thought, _break time_. The muscular male leaned his back against a sturdy rock and slowly slid down to the ground, slumping into a more relaxed position. He sighed again in content and let his eyes fall shut. Yori barely ever got any peace and quiet these days.

"... One... Just... Some..."

 _What was that?!_ Yori's head shot up from the near silent murmurs. He could have sworn that he'd heard someone talking. Glancing around at his surrounding, the male noticed his Commander still fast asleep, propped up against a mine cart. Other slaves were either talking amongst one another or had too decided to take a nap, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Shhh... You're being too loud. What if someone hears you?" A voice whispered.

"Oh says you," another retorted.

Okay, maybe not as ordinary as he thought. Yori hauled himself back up to his feet and followed the sound of the rogue voices. He sidled across the rocky exterior until two guards came into view, admiring a secret stash of crystals.

"Think about it, man," one of them urged. "These things could boost your magic tenfold with just a simple touch and we can say goodbye to this godforsaken place!"

Yori's eyes almost shot out of his head at the statement. Sucking in a breath, the slave snuck into the shadows and strained his ears to hear more.

"Don't be ridiculous, we'd get caught. There's nowhere to run in the desert. And then what do you think would happen to us? We'd be thrown in a cell and treated like any other miserable slave."

"Oh stop being so pessimistic, would ya? Heck with this much magic at our disposal we could take over this damn camp. Only the Master and Commanders are wizards. Defeating them wouldn't be a problem."

"Psh, you over estimate yourself. C'mon let's get to work before someone finds out we left our posts."

And with that, Yori scampered off with a smile, ready to put a plan of his own into action.

Another excruciating day had passed and the slaves had gathered back at the warehouse. Yori's team were the last to enter, leaving very few seats remaining. The slave sighed as he wiped away the sweat, scanning the room for any sign of the boys. As per usual, the two Fairy Tail wizards had positioned themselves as far away from their Commander as they possibly could. The man was just in time to see Gray chugging down his glass of water before returning his head to the desk. The poor Ice Wizard definitely didn't look good. Yori smiled sadly, _those two must be strong wizards if they've managed to last this long_. He strode over to the pair and nudged Natsu on the shoulder. "Hey kid, I got something I need to tell you."

Natsu raised an eyebrow in confusion, but seeing the both happy and serious expression on the man's face was enough to convince the pinkette that this was more than important. "I'll be right back," he assured Gray, earning a groan in response, and followed Yori to a more secluded corner of the warehouse.

"I overheard the guards talking earlier today," Yori stated with a grin. "I finally learned what's so special about the crystals."

"Really?!" Natsu exclaimed, before being rapidly hushed by his companion. "What do they do?"

"They amplify your magic by an incredible amount," the man took a quick glance at their surroundings to double check no one was eavesdropping. He pulled out a rolled up piece of paper from under his shirt. "This is a map of the mines. There's a whole bunch of stray crystals that the guards have been keeping down there. I've marked its location as well as any guard positioning. You won't have long to get away from Ryota, but once you've come into contact with the crystals, you should have a good chance in escaping."

"I can get Gray outta here..." The Salamander muttered, staring at the paper in awe.

"Alright you lot! Back to your cells!"

"Good luck, Natsu," Yori smiled a final time. "I wish you the best of luck."

The pair scattered and Natsu rushed back to Gray's side, hiding the parchment under his tattered shirt. He hauled the weakened wizard to his feet and joined the cluster of slaves as they all made their way back to their dingy cells.

That night, Natsu memorised every nook and cranny of the mines shown on the map. The guards' secret stash of crystals was hidden pretty deep, with many twists and turns to get lost in. And the Fire Dragon couldn't forget that there was a big chance of Ryota realising the pair had gone missing and come chasing after them. Natsu had no doubt that bastard knew the mines like the back of his hand. Gray was sleeping soundly on the other side of the cell which was a miracle in itself.

"If what the ol' man said is true..." Natsu mumbled to himself. "Then as soon as we come in contact with the crystals, the flow of magic should be strong enough to break these bracelets and then we can just fight our way outta here. Man, I've been itching for a good fight for weeks."

A quiet choking sound came from the other side of the cell causing Natsu to let out a saddened sigh. _Another nightmare I guess_ , he thought as he slowly turned to face his sleeping rival. The pinkette's eyes almost shot out of his head when he was met with the sight. Gray's pale form was twitching rigorously as more strangled cries escaped his lips. "Gray?!" Natsu instantly panicked and dashed to his side. _Shit, he's having a seizure_. The pinkette found his charcoal eyes had rolled to the back of his head and bile was rising in his throat and constricting his airways. The teen's limbs flailed wildly out of his control and all Natsu could sit and watch.

"Gray," he sobbed, wiping away the tears he didn't realise we're falling. "I can't lose you now, not after coming so close. Just stay with me, okay?

Please."

* * *

 **Enjoy waiting for a week to find out what happens to Gray... Hehehe... About that, you might have to wait a little longer than a week. So I usually give myself a 2000 word goal for every chapter and whilst I'm pretty much there for the next one, Iv'e not entirely finished what I want to happen so you may have to wait maybe a few days extra until I finish. It'll be worth the wait though I promise, next chapter's a good one. College started this week so I need to get back into the swing of things and up my writing whenever I have time to kill.**

 **Time to talk about the manga.**

 **So I really love chapter five hundred except for one small detail... Juvia was brought back way too soon. Now we all knew this was gonna happen but I was kinda hoping that it would be a few chapters away. It makes Gray's line "Juvia's never coming back" a little redundant as the readers already know that she's alive. The final scene with Gray would have been much more emotional if we were still under the impression that Juvia was still dead.**

 **In my opinion, Juvia's reveal would have been a lot more shocking/effective if Hiro had waited for Gray to confront Natsu about being E.N.D. and gone to attack him. This is when Juvia would show up and stop Gray and then explain how Carla had a premonition of her death and Wendy was able to get to her in time.**

 **I'd love to hear everyone's opinions on the latest chapter so feel free to PM me with what you thought!**

 **Byeeeeeee! ;)**


	7. Trust

**I'm a day late. Sorry! Honestly I thought it would take longer to get this out, but I somehow managed to muster up the seven hundred words I needed to finish next weeks chapter in just over half an hour last night. This is DEFINITELY my favourite chapter that I've written for this so far so I hope you all like it as much as I do! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail**

* * *

He was in pain. That much he knew. He had risen from his nightmarish sleep when an agonising throbbing came from his head. That throbbing then spread down into his chest, reaching done his arms and sending tingles into his toes. Something wasn't right. The raven opened his mouth to call for his rival when he felt a sickening feeling rising in his throat. Panic flared throughout his body as his vision began fading and the last thing he remembered before his vision finally gave out was a violent jerk of his body and a foreign, mumbled voice that he couldn't quite make out.

Natsu was in full blown panic mode watching his friend convulse uncontrollably in front of him. All his could do was sit there and prevent Gray from choking on his own saliva as he twitched around on the floor. It was all he could do just to stop the raven from bashing his limbs against hard rock and injuring himself further. Natsu sniffled and fought his tears back. _No_ , he thought. _Now's not the time to be crying, I've got to be strong for Gray. If he's too weak to carry his own weight then I'll carry it for him_. The pinkette stripped off his shirt and - along with Gray's grubby rags - balled them up into a pillow to cushion Gray's trembling head. He really wished there was something he could do to relive his rival from at least some of the pain. Could he call a guard for help? No! Those bastards would probably do more harm than good; all he could do was just sit by his friend's side and hope for the best.

* * *

Gray's mind crept back into consciousness with another pounding headache. When had he fallen asleep exactly? His mind was running at a fraction of its usual speed, making it far too difficult to process where he was and what was happening. There was a boy - who looked to be in his teens - kneeling over him with his mouth moving, though the words didn't register with the raven. His glazed eyes scanned the room and fell upon the metal bars restricting their exit. They were prisoners? And who exactly was 'they?' Gray thoroughly studied the teen in front of him - much to the latter's confusion - and found an odd looking symbol on his right shoulder. Was that a guild mark? Which guild was it for? Pain flared in the back of his head, causing him to clench his eye shut. Images of a building flashed through his mind, but it wasn't just any building. It was a guildhall, his guildhall. Fairy Tail. And the boy in front of him was Natsu. His rival, his friend. Right now they were... They were... Where were they?

"Gray can you hear me," Natsu spoke softly with a small hint of worry.

"...yeh..." Gray panted through tired breaths. Why was he so tired?

"Do you remember where we are?"

"We're... We're umm... It's hot..."

Natsu cursed under his breath. "Gray, focus. We're in the desert, remember? A bunch of guys ambushed us a few weeks ago and we've been stuck here ever since. Do you remember all this?"

"I... Uhh..." A spark of recognition glinted in Gray's eyes. "Yeah, I remember." He focused on Natsu's concerned and doubtful expression. "I'm fine."

"Gray," the pinkette scowled. "You're clearly not fine and no matter how much you try to deny it, it isn't going to change the fact that you're not okay. You just had a friggin' fit for crying out loud. Listen, we've got another escape plan for tomorrow and I promise you it'll work. We'll get home and then you won't have to worry about this damn heat anymore."

Gray attempted a nod and smiled in an attempt to calm the Fire Dragon down.

"Just get some rest. Things will get better tomorrow. I promise."

The raven's head lolled to the side, his weakened body far too exhausted to stay awake. He didn't even care about the nightmares anymore; he just needed to sleep. Natsu remained at his rival's side for another few minutes, just so that he could be sure there were no lasting side effects to the Ice Wizard's previous seizure. After confirming that everything was all well and good (if you could call it that), Natsu shuffled back into a more comfortable position, but kept his eyes on Gray until they finally fell shut.

* * *

It's been weeks and nothing. Makarov sat behind his desk with his head in his hands, beyond worried at this point. The entire guild had travelled to every city in Fiore and had ended up empty handed each time. Even Makarov himself was beginning to have doubts that his boys were safe and how was he supposed to keep that hope alive amongst his children if he didn't believe? Shaking his head, the small man hopped down from his chair and returned into the main room. Just as he entered, Makarov saw Erza, Happy and a bunch of other guild members slouch into their seats, disappointment and grief stricken over their faces.

"I'll take it by the looks on your faces that you didn't find anything," Makarov sighed.

"It's like they just disappeared into thin air," Cana frowned solemnly.

The entire guild had been silent for weeks. No one realised how much they would miss the constant brawls, even Erza was dying to hear those stupid insults her two little brothers used to constantly call each other. The guild just wasn't the same without them around. Suddenly, the doors to the guild hall burst open and the near-silent building was met with a very cheerful voice.

"I'm home everybody!" Gildarts Clive chuckled heartily.

He was met with a full house of grief-stricken faces.

"Why the long faces? Did something happen?"

Erza opened her mouth to explain but even that had become too much to cope and sent more tears streaking down her cheek.

"Come with me Gildarts," Makarov finally instructed and the pair let the younger group of wizards alone with their thoughts. "There's no easy way to tell you this but..." He sucked in a breath. "A few weeks ago Natsu and Gray were ambushed in the Eastern Forest and kidnapped. So far, there's no trace of where they are or if they're even alright."

Gildarts slowly dropped onto a bench, mouth gaping in pure shock. It wasn't possible was it? Out of all the young'uns of the guild, Gildarts considered himself to be closer with the two boys than anyone else. Whenever he wasn't swept away on a job he could usually be found fishing with Natsu and his feline friend. Not to mention he was the reason that Gray had joined Fairy Tail in the first place and had fought a fair share of battles by his side. They were both strong wizards, there was no questioning it. So who in their right mind would ever take them away?

"They'll be okay," Gildarts muttered in reassurance, though it was more for himself than Makarov. "Those two are fighters, ya know. No matter what life has thrown at them they've always found a way to beat the odds. This time won't be any different."

"I hope for their sake you're right," Makarov frowned, glancing over to the table full of tearful teens.

* * *

Natsu shot up as his eyes snapped open the next morning. This was it! The day Natsu and Gray would finally escape from this hellhole. He quickly scanned over the map one final time before turning to his partner in crime. He did not look good. The raven's face was as pale as a sheet while his arms, legs and chest were covered in sickening red blotches. Natsu couldn't honestly tell if they were due to Ryota's harsh beating or just plain sunburn. His breathing was small and shallow and his eyes were squeezed shut as if he was in pain.

 _The sooner we get out of here the better_ , Natsu thought as he shuffled over to his rival. "Hey," he ever so gently shook the teen by his shoulder. "Gray it's time to wake up."

The Ice Wizard winced as even the slightest touch was enough to send shooting pains down his side. He sluggishly blinked up at Natsu with confusion written in his eyes.

"We're escaping remember?" Natsu whispered with a huff.

"Yeah… right," the raven slurred back.

"Do you think you can walk?"

"We're… we're about to find out."

The pinkette hauled Gray up and watched as he staggered to the side, using the wall to gain his balance. Noticing the Fire Dragon's apprehension, the raven furrowed his brow and pushed himself off the wall in annoyance. _Am I really this weak to the point where I can't stand without help_ , he growled. Holding his arms out for balance, Gray wobbled slightly before finally coming to a standstill on his trembling legs.

"You sure you're gonna be okay?" Natsu voiced his concern.

"Don't worry about me," Gray dismissed. "Let's just worry about escaping."

As if on cue, guards flooded the corridor and began dragged slaves back out for their daily work. Natsu and Gray shared a nod before shuffling into the crowd.

As per usual, Ryota stood with his horse and cart, hands on his hips and a sadistic grin plastered on his face. Natsu groaned. Ever since their first escape attempt, their Commander had barely let the duo out of his sight. It would be tricky to find another opening to dash into the mines, never mind the multitude of guards positioned inside. Once again (and hopefully for the final time) the Fairy Tail wizards boarded the cart, squishing themselves among other slaves. The Salamander glanced down at his canteen, his parched throat screaming for some sort of liquid. As much as the young wizard was tempted to take a quick sip, he quickly shook his head a focused his eyes elsewhere. There was no doubt in his minds that the small canteen would be crucial for their survival when travelling it the desert. There was no telling how far out the camp was or which way they needed to travel. They could end up travelling for hours, or even days. Natsu wasn't going to lie; he was extremely worried that Gray wouldn't make the entire journey. All they needed was to find civilisation, but who knows how long that could take. Gray was already on his last legs and taking him out further into the elements would most definitely make things worse. He just had to hope that Gray's undying stubbornness came through for the both of them.

Surprisingly, it wasn't long until Ryota became distracted with bullying the other slaves. Natsu did a quick scan of the area just to double check that no guards had changed posts and were within their range. The pinkette then nudged Gray and smiled. "It's time."

Gray nodded slowly. It was now or never. Staggering to his feet, the two teens snuck around as if they were Ninja's on a mission and dived into the shadows of the mines. They followed every twist and turn Yori had pointed out on the map whilst attempting to evade guards all at the same time. They passed the muscular slave on the way and received a reassuring smile as they dashed on their way. Just as the man had predicted, his Commander was taking his usual nap. One less bastard for the boys to worry about. They turned one final corner and skidded to a halt, gaping in awe at the sight. Sure they'd seen the crystals before, but this was something else. The ore sparkled in a multitude of different colours. Parts of them glistened when the light from a misplaced lantern flickered upon them.

"Woah..." Natsu marvelled. He wasn't surprised that such beauty contained magical properties.

Gray was a little more on edge and rightfully so. "That lantern's been lit recently," he muttered.

"What the hell are you two doing in here?!" A voice boomed. "Those belong to me!"

The pinkette almost gave himself whiplash with how fast his head sped around. _Crap_ , he thought. As luck would have it, one of the guards must have noticed a disturbance and come searching for the duo. Natsu could only assume that this was one of the guards responsible for hiding this stash away in the first place. He shared a look with Gray, both nodding as if they could read each other's thoughts, and made a mad dash for the crystals. All they needed to do was come into contact with them; they were too close to fail now.

"Hey! Don't touch that!"

The duo reached out and simultaneously placed a hand on the mound of crystals. Almost instantly, a surge buzzed throughout their entire body making them feel practically invincible. Their grins widened when they heard the clank of metal, signifying that their anti-magic cuffs had been rendered useless. Natsu felt the welcoming heat burning in his stomach and closed his eyes as the flames came to life in his hands. Gray sighed with relief when he felt chills tingle through his bones and a fraction of his strength was restored.

"You bastards get away from my crystals n-"

"Karyū no Hōkō!"

"Ice-Make: Lance!"

The two attacks crashed into the guard with an almighty force and sent him straight into unconsciousness. Natsu and Gray smirked at one another, bursting with hope. It was really happening this time. They were going to escape.

"Man, I've missed you magic!" Natsu wailed, hugging his arm as the flames continued to roar in his hand.

"C'mon," Gray instructed. "We've got no time to waste."

Not long after, several more guards showed up upon hearing the commotion and readied their weapons. The Fire Dragon rolled his eyes at the futile attempts. They may as well just admit defeat now.

"Karyū no Yokugeki!" Natsu rushed at the crowd of opponents and rendered them all unconscious in one fell sweep. "Let's go home," he cheered, striding out of the cave.

"Right behind you," Gray mumbled a sense of doubt in his voice. Sure, he felt good now, but he knew that as soon he was exposed to the sun, his condition would fall right back to where it was this morning. There was absolutely no way he would last the journey home... But that didn't mean Natsu couldn't.

It wasn't long until the boys had made it back outside, ploughing through various guards along the way. Thankfully, Yori's Commander somehow managed to stay fast asleep as they made their mad dash to freedom, but now they had a different problem. Yes, it was everyone's favourite slave driver, Ryota Nishimura. He was still quite the distance away (Gray couldn't even see him) but Natsu could hear all too well the rapid clacking of horse hooves on the dried up land. They could run, that was definitely an option; however Ryota had speed on his side. There was no doubt that he would catch up eventually and begin a fight, so what was the point of exerting energy beforehand? No, they were waiting for Ryota to come to them. Other slaves had already dropped what they were doing to witness to two youngest boys in the camp beat through guard after guard as if they were nothing. Yori had even cheered for the pair as he watched them go.

 _I don't have a choice do I?_ Gray thought before turning to his rival. "Natsu I..." He stuttered.

"Whatever the problem is, can it wait until after we kick the crap outta this asshole?" Natsu dismissed, focusing solely on his oncoming target.

"You need to leave me here. I'll hold them off for as long as I can so you can get a head start."

To say Natsu was surprised was an understatement. His arms fell to his sides and a look of pure horror took over his face. "What are you talking about idiot?! No way am I leaving you alone here."

"Natsu we don't have a choice!" Gray pressed. "You and I both know that I'm not gonna make the trip outta here, but you can. Your fire magic can help you withstand this heat; I'd just drag you down if I came along. It's a miracle in itself that I'm still standing." He felt the intense rays of the sun beat down on his bare chest and winced. "This way I can use the magic I have left to help you get away. As long as you make it over to the closest town you'll be safe and Ryota shouldn't come after you."

Tears sprung in the pinkette's eyes that he fought back with all his might. "No!" He roared. "I'm not leaving you all alone Gray, I can't!"

"Natsu please, it's the only way."

"I don't want to leave you."

"You'll come back for me!" The raven placed his hands firmly on the other's shoulders, determination flaring through his features. "I know you, Natsu. You're not the kind of person who will leave a friend behind and you're not going to. You will come back. I trust that you'll come back to save me."

"Gray..."

"BOYS!" The booming voice of their Commander reverberated through the air.

"Now hurry up and go! You don't have much time!"

And so Natsu reluctantly turned and ran, tears flying off into the breeze. The sounds of the slave camp slowly drifted away as it faded out of sight, but not before the Salamander could pick up an agonising cry from the friend he left behind.

* * *

 **Damn, we're getting so close to the end of this (I'm guessing about two chapters left). How has it gone so fast?! Man, I forgot how much I love posting these fics, makes me kinda sad that I haven't posted much this year.**

 **And now Gray's left all alone in the desert with no way out. *sadistic grin***

 **So has anyone else heard about that turn-based RPG for Fairy Tail that's being made. I only found out quite recently and I really hope it's good! I've not played any of the other FT games (for obvious reasons) so I'm gonna keep my hopes up!**

 **Speaking of games, I've been watching a playthrough of the new Attack on Titan game and HOOOOOOOLY CRAP I love it! It's times like this that I wish I had Steam... or a Playstation for that matter. :'(**

 **I'm off to Comic Con this weekend. There's actually one in my hometown for once and I'm super excited. I already got an FT shirt last year so now I'm on the hunt for a good Pokémon one to celebrate when Sun and Moon come out! XD**

 **Enough of my ramblings. Byeeeee! ;)**


	8. A Noble Sacrifice

**Okay, I know I'm late again and I'm sorry. This time I really have no excuse. I just got too invested in playing video games yesterday that I didn't leave anytime to update. I almost didn't write at all yesterday either, ooops. The next chapter (probably the finale) Isn't quite finished yet so there is a very small possibility that I will be late updating again next week. I got hit by some nasty writer's block and then college decided to dump a media assignment on me... Sigh...**

 **Anywho, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I own Ryota and Yori I guess...**

* * *

"...Tsu..."

"Is... Al... T..."

"Ap... Tta... Id..."

"Natsu!"

The teen in question jolted awake and shot upright, almost head butting his feline friend.

"Natsu you're okay!" Happy shot into the Fire Dragon's arms, endless amounts of tears falling down his furry face.

"Wha...?" Natsu's vision came into focus to see the Master and all of his guild mates gathered around his bed overjoyed by the pinkette's awakening. Upon further inspection, he realised that he was tucked up inside the guild's infirmary with his arms, legs and head firmly wrapped up in thick white bandages. Hadn't he been in the desert? Just as the Fire Wizard was about to question the current happenstance, the Scarlet Demon yanked him into a bone crushing embrace.

"Natsu, I'm so glad you safe," she sighed with relief. "There was no sign of you for weeks; we were starting to fear the worst."

"Good to see you alive and well, kiddo," Gildarts patted the Salamander on the back, sending a reassuring smile his way.

"Natsu," Cana forced her way through the crowed of wizards and leaned into his bed. Her cheeks were flush and dried tear stains were evident on her face. "Where's Gray? Why wasn't he with you?!"

And that's when it all came rushing back. "Gray!" He panicked. "I left him. We've gotta go back and help him!" Natsu flung the blanket aside and attempted to climb out of bed when a pair of strong arms pushed him back down.

"Natsu you're still weak," Makarov stated. "We will help Gray, but first we need to know what happened to you both."

"Well umm... What do you already know?"

Erza spoke up. "You and Gray went missing a few weeks ago when I came back from my job. There was absolutely no trace of where you might have ended up and no matter how much we looked we just couldn't find you. Two days ago, we got a call from the hospital in Aberystwyth saying that they had found you unconscious just outside the village."

"Well," Natsu began, "when we woke up we were thrown into a cell with magic-binding cuffs on. We'd been taken to a slave camp and whoever those bastards were, they were recruiting slaves to mine these crystals they'd found buried in the desert. Gray and I were made to push the carts from the mines back to the base every day for hours. We tried escaping, but we were caught and tortured for disobeying them." He sucked in a breath before continuing. "Gray, he... He wasn't coping well out there; I think the heat must have been too much for him. When we finally got the chance to escape he... He..."

"He what?" Cana pressed.

"It's okay, Natsu," Master reassured. "What happened?"

"He told me to leave without him. He said that he wouldn't survive traveling through the desert so he stayed back to hold off Ryota and the rest of 'em. I knew I should have stayed! What if they did something to him?"

"Natsu you did everything you could, I'm sure of it," Erza placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"All you need to focus on is resting, my child," Makarov instructed, covering the teen with the sheets. "I hate to ask this after all you've been through, but we will need your help finding this camp. Do you think you'll be able to find it again?"

"Yeah, that shouldn't be an issue."

"Alright, everyone out," Makarov concluded. "Let's give the boy some rest."

One by one the Fairy Tail wizards exited the infirmary. Happy remained of course. No matter what anyone said, he couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for his partner's predicament. He curled up on the pinkette's chest and purred in delight when he felt a soft hand wring through his fur. "I'm glad you're okay, Natsu."

But the Salamander's mind was elsewhere. Right now, all his thoughts lay with Gray. Sure, he was happy to be home, but if it was at the expense of his rival's life there was no way Natsu would ever forgive himself.

* * *

Gray put up a good fight - there was no arguing there - but with the blazing sun beating down upon him, his rapidly depleting magic and Ryota's brutal whipping, he found it hard to keep up. When he finally managed to pull himself back out of unconsciousness he was being dragged down a long, dark corridor by two slaves. His body was red and raw from the leather slashing against his skin and he could have sworn that he still felt an electrical surge jolt through his limbs every now and then. Eventually, the guards forced open the huge double doors and slowly walked inside. The room was dimly lit, but Gray could just about manage to make out the shadowed image of the bastard responsible for this mess. The pair of guards threw the raven forward and his tumbled to his feet. He pushed himself back onto his knees, but Gray could tell from the shooting pains wracking his limbs that there was no way he was getting back on his feet anytime soon.

"This pathetic little runt is the one who helped that boy escape?" The Master questioned, completely baffled.

"Yes sir!" They both saluted towards their superior before backing away, leaving the Master to do his work.

"Look kid," the muscular male scowled. "I'm going to make this very easy for you. Either you tell me how you and your friend found out about the crystals' properties or I'll kill you."

The raven remained silent, glaring daggers at his captor.

"Don't play dumb with me boy. You and your friend didn't come across those crystals by chance," he slowly trod around the Ice Wizard, leaning in until he was inches away from his face. "And it just so happens that your friend dropped a map by the entrance of the mines. Someone gave it to you and you're going to tell me who it was."

"You're not getting... Anything outta me," Gray panted, struggling to hold himself upright.

"So you're willing to save some stranger in exchange for your own life... You guild wizards sicken me. No matter," the man reached down to his belt and pulled out a sword. In the blink of an eye, metal was pressed up against Gray's throat, just enough to draw the slightest of blood. "You've got one more chance to save yourself. Now just imagine how distraught your friend would be when he turns up to rescue you only to find your corpse rotting away in your dingy cell."

"Wait!"

Everyone's attention turned to the door. A singular slave stood tall among the group of guards who had been eavesdropping. The slave marched forward and without wavering proclaimed, "I was the one who gave the boys the map. I set this whole thing up so they could escape."

The Master harshly pulled the blade away and every so slowly approached the offending slave. "And what is your name?"

"Yori Ito."

"Ah yes, the younger Ito. It's tragic what happened to him, truly. It's a shame his noble sacrifice was in vain."

With a maniacal grin, that could rival Ryota's sadistic smirks, the Master aggressively plunged his sword through Yori chest. Blood splattered onto rock and a few guards had to turn away from the vulgar sight.

"OLD MAN!" Gray cried, as Yori's paling body slumped to the ground.

"Don't worry... Gray," despite it all, Yori was smiling. Almost as if he was proud. He turned back to the Master, giving him a menacing smile of his own. "My brother's sacrifice... will not be in vain... no matter how... hard you want to believe... If it weren't for him... I would have never... got the chance... to help those kids... and knowing that our sacrifices... have led to their safety... is enough for me... You were doomed from the moment your men decided to kidnap Fairy Tail wizards!" He sent one last smile to the tearful teen before his eyes finally dulled out and his limbs fell slack.

"YORI!"

* * *

Natsu was given the all clear from Porlyusica, immediately changed into his usual get up and joined the rest of his guild to prepare for their rescue mission. As much as Erza wanted to make him stay in and rest, the Fire Dragon was their only chance at finding their missing Ice Wizard. He was the only one with a keen sense of smell, not to mention no one else had the foggiest idea where they were going. The pinkette rushed into the main room, just in time for Master and Gildarts' briefing.

"I suggest that we return to Aberystwyth and start our search there," Makarov addressed the guild. "That town isn't far from the desert and hopefully Natsu should be able to pick up on the right direction."

"Once we've found the base it's likely they'll be expecting us so keep your guard up," Gildarts continued. "From what Natsu has told us, only the Master and the so called Commanders are confirmed to be magic users, but that doesn't mean the rest of them don't have a means of self-defence. You'll need all of your strength if we want any chance of saving not only Gray, but the rest of the slaves they've kept in captivity."

"Gildarts will search for the Master; everyone else should ward off any guards that get in our way. Natsu, Erza and Cana will be accompanying me in searching for Gray. Just wait around here for a moment longer while we finish gathering supplies for the fight. And please be careful brats."

The two older wizards returned to a back room of the guild, leaving the younger wizards to exchange words of encouragement amongst themselves.

"These bastards won't know what hit 'em," Cana snarled despite her shaky voice.

"Just wait for us a little longer Gray, we're coming!" Happy pumped his paws in the air before flying over to his partner. "Are you sure you're gonna be okay, Natsu?"

"It's not me we should be worried about..." The Salamander mumbled. "Erza, did you pack extra med kits? Levy, you'll be able to create some ice to cool him down once we save him right. Cana-"

"Natsu," the scarlet-haired wizard placed an arm on his should to cease his ramblings. "Gray's a fighter. He always has been. He'll pull through no matter what."

Unfortunately, this didn't seem to relax Natsu's paranoia. "Erza you weren't there. You didn't have to watch him slowly wither away in that heat. What if it's already too late and it's all my fault?"

"Gray knew what he was doing when he told you to leave without him Natsu," Cana spoke up. "If he'd have gone with you one of two things would have happened. You would have ended up being caught or Gray would have died along the way. Then you would have never forgiven yourself, right? He knew that you could make it home and he knew that a hoard of angry guild wizards would quickly come to his aid. You said that he trusted you to come back for him right?"

Natsu nodded, hesitantly.

"Then you need to trust him to still be there when you get back."

Natsu fell silent. In fact, so did everyone else. Cana's eyes were flickering with unwavering determination and strength that seemed to wash everyone's worries away. Was this what sober Cana was really like?

"I've been on my fair share of jobs with that idiot and no matter what crap was thrown at him Gray never stopped fighting. He's kinda like a cockroach, ya know? He won't be killed off so easily. Have faith in him."

The brunette's fierce attitude spread into the surrounding guild members and they all cheered in agreement. Cana was right, of course she was. If Gray was just going kick the bucket, he would have done it already. If the raven had been so certain that he wasn't going to last then what was the point of fighting? A fire flickered in Natsu's eyes. It was an odd way of looking at things, but if it gave the wizard hope, Natsu would continue to trust in Gray's strength. They were rivals after all. For Gray to let himself die in the camp would almost be like he was admitting that Natsu was the strongest. All of the duo's fights so far had ended in a draw and the pinkette only hoped that this added to their list of undecided brawls.

* * *

 **Am I taking the Gray x Cana BrOTP too far? I think I said the same thing in Diseased, but I just love their friendship so much! I wish the pair would be touched on more in the manga. It's in my head cannon that before Team Natsu was formed, Gray used to go on jobs with Cana and Loke. Maybe I'll write something about them eventually? Who knows!**

 **Thanks for reading as usual, I love you all... Please don't kill me like I did Yori. :'(**

 **Buh-Byeee!**


	9. The Final Showdown Begins

**So turns out this isn't the last chapter (yeah, yeah I know I'm late again...)**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Sadly not...**

* * *

The guild travelled deeper and deeper into the desert, multiple cooling devices at their disposal. Makarov had hired a few Magic Four-Wheelers for the journey and had instructed anyone with a licence to take the wheel. Natsu sat at the forefront with the tiny wizard, pointing left and right, using his nose as his guide. Upon returning to Aberystwyth, the Dragon Slayer instantly picked up the stench of blood, sweat and tears that loomed over the camp. He had hoped to pick up Gray's scent too, but he'd had no such luck.

"Don't be discouraged Natsu," Makarov reassured. "We'll find him."

"I know," Natsu sighed. "I'm just worried what we'll find when we get there."

Makarov frowned. The Fire Dragon was always an optimistic one, always the one to give encouraging speeches before the guild headed into battle. To see him so down and rid of all hope made the man's heart twinge in pain. It only made him worry further about their young Ice Wizard's condition. What if it was already too late?

"Master!" Gildarts called over as his Magic Four-Wheeler sped up to his side. "Is that the place?"

Both wizards darted their heads in the direction the wizard was pointing and found a warehouse-looking building in the blurred distance.

"That's the place," Natsu mumbled, eyebrows furrowing.

"Let's go get Gray back," Makarov resolved as he and the rest sped closer and closer to their destination.

* * *

"Do it."

After receiving his orders from the master, Ryota slowly pulled out his whip and slashed away again and again at the vulnerable Ice Wizard. Gray had been chained and hung against the wall, his feet barely touching the floor. A nasty cut spewed blood from his forehead and the rest of his body was absolutely covered in red welts from the beatings and some had even drawn blood. His sunburnt skin was already peeling, making himself even more sensitive to the blows from the whip and it didn't help that Ryota had upped the intensity of his lightning. He would scream for help if his throat wasn't so parched; not that it would do any good at this point. There was no one coming to help him, at least not for a while. There was no telling if Natsu had made it back to the guild or not, and Yori was...

"You know what, Ice Wizard," Ryota taunted. "I'm gonna let you live. Oh but don't get your hopes up. By the time your little friends come to rescue you, you'll be beyond saving. Your body and mind will be so mangled with fresh wounds that you're going to wish for death to whisk you away from your tortured existence."

He would have responded if he could and boy did he want to. Gray wanted nothing more than to give Ryota his signature smirk and prove that he could never break him, but he was far too drained with barely any fight left in him. Physically, he was already breaking. Each crack of the whip broke more skin and the Commander's harsh kicks had fractured bones. The beatings barely even registered with him anymore. His senses were almost completely nulled.

Almost.

Every now and then Ryota would rain down his whip with such brutality that an excruciating twinge of pain reverberated through every inch of his body. So yes, Gray had to admit that Ryota could break him to some extent, but physical wounds healed with time. Fairy Tail has the best Medical Advisor a guild could ask for, so the raven had no doubt that he would be back on his feet within a week of returning home (because that was definitely going to happen). The only thing that worried him at this moment was being broken down mentally. A wound that's far more difficult to inflict, but almost impossible to recover from.

* * *

Guards were already filing out of the warehouse and towards their unexpected guests. Macao, Wakaba and many other Fairy Tail wizards sprang into action, throwing magic left and right at their opponents. Makarov reconciled with Gildarts and the younger members to set their plan into motion.

"Gildarts, will you be okay to search the area for the Master?" Makarov questioned.

"Shouldn't be an issue. I'll just pummel my way through these small fries until one of them gives up the bastard's location."

"Right. Be careful," he concluded as the SS-Class wizard dashed off into the mass of guards.

"Natsu," Erza began, "can you pick up Gray's scent at all?"

The pinkette squeezed his eyes shut and focused solely on his nose. It was tough, but he eventually picked up the faintest scent of mint and pine cones. What worried Natsu though was the strong scent of blood that almost masked that of his rival's. "He's hurt," he stated. "We've gotta hurry."

"Lead the way," Cana remarked, positioning several cards between her fingers.

And with that the team dispersed, darting through guards and shoving past anyone who tried to stand in their way. The stronger Gray's scent became, the more Natsu's anxiety grew. The stench of blood leaked into his nostrils, causing bile to rise in his throat and practically took over the Ice Wizard's scent. And while the smell of blood grew stronger, Gray's natural scent only seemed to become weaker. What if they were too late? The pinkette wasted no time in picking up the pace and dashing through the warehouse with the girls and Exceed in tow.

* * *

Gildarts was taking a far more casual route through the building, doing a thorough check of each room he passed, just on the slightest off chance that he happened upon their missing guild member. Oh he just couldn't wait to find the master of this joint and teach him a well over due lesson of what happens when you mess with his family. The corridors were mainly clear by this point; practically every guard had left their posts to engage in combat with the mass of wizards. So when Gildarts felt a magical presence around the next turn, he clenched his fists and smirked.

"So you're the insect whose been crawling around my home," the Master stated with a casual tone.

"I'd think twice before calling me an insect," the SS-Class wizard grinned.

"I've heard you're all here to retrieve a mere child," the man questioned. "I fail to see how valuable this kid is. Ice Wizards are weak. Always have been, always will be. That's why you rarely hear about them these days."

"Oh I'm really gonna enjoy beating you to a pulp," Gildarts growled, eyes burning with rage.

"And I'm going to enjoy putting an end to you Fairies once and for all," the Master grinned. He drew out his blade and both males charged at one another.

"Natsu are you sure we're going the right way?" Cana pressed as the team dashed through yet another corridor.

"Trust me Cana, I know what I'm doing," Natsu dismissed with a spark of annoyance. Okay, he understood that Cana was worried - she was Gray's oldest friend after all - but the constant questions weren't putting any less pressure on the Salamander. It was bad enough that he was trailing the sickening stench of his rival's blood. The scent had gotten a lot stronger so at least that was a good sign, though his gag reflexes would disagree.

Makarov had worn a constant frown ever since their group had begun the search, they had already passed countless amounts of slaves trapped in far less that hygienic cells and cowering in fear of their captors. At least one good thing would come out of this so called adventure; they had the opportunity to save a lot of people by bringing these bastards to justice. Suddenly, he heard a near silent gasp come from the pinkette and watched as his speed increase tenfold as he dashed around the corner. _Gray must be close_ , he assumed as he ushered the girls to quicken their pace.

Natsu's panic flared as his senses became more and more clear. He skidded around the corner and ground to a halt upon seeing an ominous looking iron door at the end of the corridor. The stench of blood was practically radiating from the inside of the room. Furrowing his eyebrows and clenching his fists, the Fire Dragon charged at the door... Only for him to bounce right back, wincing in pain. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" He repeated, continuously slamming his tense body into the door that just wouldn't budge.

"Step aside, Natsu," Makarov instructed.

The teen reluctantly obliged and returned to the girls' side, with Happy perching on his shoulder, to watch his guild master do his work. The tiny wizard raised his fist and watched it grow bigger and bigger until was practically the size of tree and simply yanked the door off its hinges in one fell swoop. The three teens and Exceed darted into the cell and their eyes almost flew out of their heads thanks to the scene in front of them. Gray was no longer bound to the wall, but his wrists were split and bleeding. His overly pale form was slumped on the rocky surface, blotches of his skin almost as dark as Erza's hair. Areas of his body were littered with scars from their Commander's whip and Gray didn't even look like he was breathing.

Natsu was the first to react. "Gray!" He cried as he dashed to his rival's side, rolling him over to get a good look at his face. The raven's eyes were clenched shut and he gritted his teeth in pain. Each breath was forced and upon checking his pulse, Natsu could feel his heart struggling to beat. "Gray, c'mon wake up," the pinkette pulled his friend into a tight embrace, tears dripping down onto the Ice Wizard's pale cheeks.

Makarov and the others were quick to kneel by their side to offer as much assistance as they could. "Erza, get the med kit," Makarov ordered. "At the very least we can clean he wounds to prevent further damage."

"Right," Erza nodded, rummaging through her bag.

"Everything's gonna be alright, Gray. Just hang in there," Cana reassured, clasping his hand in her's.

The Requip Wizard began rubbing salve across the raven's torso in an attempt to soothe the beyond agitated skin. A barely audible groan escaped Gray's parted lips as soon as the concoction made contact with the repulsive red welts. She handed the jar over to the brunette so she could get to work on the teen's arms whilst Makarov did everything in his power to lower his body temperature. "Natsu, I need you and Happy to…" the tiny man turned only to find both boy and Exceed nowhere in sight.

"Those morons!" Erza roared, pulling her attention away from her comrade.

"Erza, Cana, get Gray out of here. I'll go and find that idiot."

The girls nodded before Cana slung the Ice Wizard's limp form over her shoulders whilst Erza requipped a sword. It would be harder finding their way out without Natsu's senses to guide them and taking Gray back out into the elements probably wasn't the greatest idea. They just hoped that their fellow guild mates were able to defeat any lingering members of the slave camp so they could finally leave this god forsaken place behind them.

* * *

"Natsu where are we going?"

When the Fire Dragon had suddenly taken a mad dash out of Gray's cell, Happy couldn't help but worry. No matter how many question he asked, Natsu just wasn't answering. A spark flared in his eyes as an aggressive expression took over his face. From the looks of things, Natsu was searching for something... Or rather, someone. His frustration growing, the blue Exceed flew past the pinkette and hovered inches away from his face.

"Natsu!" He yelled. "Wasn't the mission to save Gray? Who are you looking for?"

"That bastard," Natsu growled. "He's close by. I have to get payback for what he did to Gray!"

"Do you mean that Ryota guy you were talking about earlier?" Happy questioned, moving to float alongside his partner as he picked up his pace.

Boy and Exceed charged through an array of corridors until they landed themselves on the outside of yet another cell. The pinkette furrowed his eyebrows as he caught the strong scent of an all too familiar bastard. He clenched his fists and rammed his foot into the door, swinging it open and crashing against the wall. Natsu stomped in, preparing to ignite his fists, only to find the room completely empty.

"No one's here, Natsu," Happy stated, confusion wiped across his face.

"Well, I wouldn't say that."

The Fire Dragon gritted his teeth as he heard the door slam shut. He slowly turned to see Ryota's classic revolting grin and piercing red eyes glaring daggers at him. He stood casually leaning on the wall, his whip tangled loosely within his fingers. "I knew you'd be back; you Fairies a too caring to leave someone behind."

"I wasn't just gonna let you walk away after all the crap you did. And we 'Fairies' are a lot less merciful than you might think." Natsu's fists blazed with a roaring fire that had been building up for the previous weeks. Oh he was really going to enjoy kicking the living shit out of him.

* * *

 **Next chapter should be the last one, but then again I said that about this chapter so who knows at this point?**

 **I think after this I'm gonna start uploading multi-chaptered fics once I've finished writing them completely (with the exception of Mystery Circle, updates for that will continue to be completely random). I'm pretty sure my update schedule for this fic was originally Tuesday, which then turned into Wednesday... and now it's Thursday... Oops! My original format for releasing chapters (as I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before) was that I would post chapter one when chapter two was finished, then post chapter two after writing chapter three etc. And with this fic especially, that hasn't exactly worked out for me as I've only just finished writing this chapter and have absolutely nothing prepared for the next one. I think waiting until the full fic is finished would be a much better way to work as I wouldn't be stressing to meet weekly deadlines (which I keep missing anyway) and I'd be able to add parts into previous chapters to better suite the story. So this may be the last multi-chaptered fic for a while (again, this doesn't apply to Mystery Circle as I just update that whenever), but I do have a lot of One-Shot's I'm planning to write so hopefully I'll have something new coming soon.**

 **Also, is anyone insanely hyped for the next chapter?! I'm kinda betting on Gray having the shit kicked outta him. I want it to be something along the lines of Natsu and Gray fighting both trying to kill the other. Juvia will show up to try to tell Gray to stop which will distract him in time for Natsu to lad a serious blow. Then Lucy and Happy show up and Nakama speech it out with Natsu to try and snap him out of it. I actually don't really care what happens as long as Gray gets some serious damage! *sadistic grin***

 **Thanks for reading as always, love you guys! ;)**


	10. Brothers in Arms

**Okay, I know I'm a week late, but I have good reason. Basically people from my drama class have been throwing shit at me and my friend and it's kinda slowed down my work on pretty much everything. So I'm sorry for the delay, but better late than never right? Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't know FT**

* * *

With one clean slice, Erza cut down yet another guard that dared to stand in their way. She kicked the unconscious body aside and led Cana to where she assumed the exit was. The brunette desperately wanted to smash these bastards' faces in, but the limp form of her best friend was preventing her from doing so. Each and every time the duo had crossed paths with one of the workers she had unconsciously reached down to the deck of cards lying in her back. This resulted in her grip on Gray faltering, causing her to panic and clutch onto him for dear life. As much as she wanted revenge on these people for hurting her first ever friend she had forced herself not to. Everyone had a role to play in this rescue mission and right now, her job was to carry her wounded guild mate to safety.

"Damn," Erza hissed as they met yet another crossroad. "This would be so much easier if Natsu hadn't had run off."

"Knowing him he's probably gone for payback," Cana sighed with a hint of jealousy.

"That imbecile can't act mature even when one of his own is in danger," the red-head frowned, scanning the different possible routes. "How's Gray doing?"

Cana shifted her gaze to peek at the mob of raven hair lolled over her shoulder. "His wounds have stopped bleeding, but his breaths have been getting slower and slower. I don't think taking him back outside would be a good idea; at least not until we've gotten him some proper medical attention."

"I knew we should have brought Porlyusica with us," Erza cursed under her breath. "Surely there must be an infirmary of some kind in this building. I doubt that the Master neglected to treat his followers with care, despite how roughly they've treated the slaves. They could have something to help with severe sunburn and maybe even have a way to get his temperature down."

"It's worth a shot," Cana nodded, shifting Gray's weight before the girls set off down the left corridor.

* * *

If only he could get one damn hit in! Gildarts was swerving left and right to avoid being sliced and diced by this so called 'Master.' He wasn't going to lie; this man knew how to wield a sword. The SS-Class wizard had barely had any open window to strike and each and every time he had been parried by the male's strong blade. He'd managed to shatter the damn thing a few times, but the bastard must have cast some sort of enchantment on it as the blasted thing kept regenerating in an instant.

"Getting tired yet?" The older man taunted. "You're way out of your league here, Guild Wizard."

"I'll admit I'm a little rusty before I have my morning booze, but at least I don't have to hide behind a flimsy weapon like that hunk of scrap metal."

"Don't speak so high and mighty of yourself when you have so far failed to land a single blow. You and your little friends don't stand a chance against my men. Your defeat was destined from the start."

"Clearly you've never felt the wrath of a parent whom has lost their child. Not a lot of people survive through it limbs intact," Gildarts' smirk was wiped clean off his face and a menacing scowl took over. His clenched his fist in anger as pure magical energy radiated through the thin gaps between his fingers. "You should count yourself lucky that you're facing me and not my guild master. If he were here, there would be no guarantee you'd live to tell the tale." Faster than the speed of light, Gildarts pounced towards his foe, reeling back his fist before it crashed into the Master's face and sent him flying through the wall into the outside world.

The man stared into the clear blue sky in both shock and distaste. "Y-you mon-ster," was all he could muster before the darkness shrouded his vision and plunged him into unconsciousness.

* * *

Natsu was having a similar issue. It was near impossible to even get close to Ryota with that damned whip doing the man's bidding. Every time he got remotely close to the man the lightning from his weapon would brush his skin, sending twitches down each limb. Was now a bad time to admit that he hadn't exactly recovered from his previous wounds? Right now, the pinkette was playing defence, trying to preserve the magic he had until he finally got an opening.

"I honestly imagined you having more punch than this kid," the Commander mocked, lashing down his whip. "Isn't Fairy Tail supposed to be one of the strongest guilds in Fiore? Not to mention that word of the infamous Salamander has spread pretty much everywhere, and this is all you can do? What a joke."

"You hurt me, you hurt my friend, and now you dare insult my guild," Natsu chuckled. A smirk crept onto his face, though a slight weariness was evident in his features. "By the time I'm through with you, you'll regret the day our paths ever crossed!"

In a sudden burst of air, a blue blur shot down from the ceiling and snatched Ryota's whip from right under his nose, much to his bewilderment. "You little shit!" The man roared, hoisting himself up as high as his legs would take him in a futile attempt to get his weapon back.

Happy soared into the furthest corner on the room, wrapping the whip up to prevent even the slightest chance of Ryota retrieving it. "Go get 'em Natsu!" The feline cheered as he saw that all too familiar flames come to life in his partner's fist.

"I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but if there's one thing I know it's that holder type wizards all have one clear weakness," the Fire Dragon reeled back and slammed his flaming fist into his opponent. "Their bodies are weak."

Ryota crashed into the wall behind them, clutched his now burnt torso as he struggled to regain his breath. "Someone needs to show you your place, brat," he winced, clenching his fists in pure hatred.

Natsu grinned at his foe's annoyance before charging back into the fray, his fists ablaze. He was able to get a few good hits in and give the bastard a well over due taste of his own medicine. With even the slightest touch, Ryota's skin was torched and caused him to flinch in pain. With each punch and kick his anger grew and eventually he ignored the searing sensation of pain and started fighting back at full power. Luckily for him, his tactical skills went into over drive as he studied his opponent for any weak points to exploit.

Before Natsu even had time to blink, any parts of him that had previously been lashed at by the ginger's whip were now receiving harsh blows left and right. "ARG!" He cried, pulling away from the fight to hold his wounded abdomen in distress. The pinkette didn't even manage to relight his fists before more blows were directed his way and he was once again forced to go on the defensive route.

Happy watched the pair exchange blows with a hint of apprehension. He knew that he should have more faith in his partner to handle things however he just couldn't shake off the feeling that the feline should do something to help. But what was he supposed to do? The Exceed was only small with no fighting ability whatsoever, and it wasn't like he had any sort of weapon to help him. Wait a minute! Happy glanced down at the enemy's whip clenched in his firm grip and began formulating his master plan. The Exceed flew up as high as he could possibly reach and shifted his grip so he was holding the handle of the whip. "Max Speed," he whispered, just loud enough to be heard by Natsu, but quiet enough to keep Ryota completely oblivious.

The Fire Dragon leapt out of range just as Happy swung the whip down at the Commander's feet, knocking him off balance. "Nice, Happy!" He praised his very smug looking partner before lighting his fists for the final time. "Karyū no Yokugeki!" The entire room burst into flames as Ryota howled in pure agony. The sheer force of the attack threw the man into the wall, creating a slight crater upon impact.

Natsu admired his handiwork and smiled. "I did it, Gray," he muttered as his eyes drooped and his muscles fell slack. The exhausted teen dropped down to his knees before his form lolled over to one side and he collapsed on the ground.

In a mad panic, Happy discarded the whip and shot over to his partner's side in an instant. "Natsu! Are you okay? Hang in there!" He stammered concern drowning away any other emotions.

Unknown to the blue feline, their opponent wasn't quite finished. Ryota slowly pushed his mangled body into a kneeling position and wiped the blood clean off his face. Using the Exceed's distraction to his advantage, the ginger male silently crawled over to his beloved weapon and firmly grasped it in his sweaty palms. He then gradually staggered to his feet - not daring to make even the slightest of noise - and reeled back his weapon.

Just as the lightning was about to make contact with the two Fairies, the door to the cell burst open and a gigantic fist launched itself into the room and struck Ryota's feeble form back into the wall. There was no way he would be getting up from that.

"Master!" Happy wailed in both gratitude and worry.

"Happy are you both alright? What happened?"

"Natsu finished beating that man and just fell down," Happy explained. "He was having a tough time fighting him."

"As I feared..." Makarov murmured, much to the Exceed's confusion. "I had a feeling that Natsu hadn't recovered enough for this rescue mission, but we could wait no longer and I knew he'd insist on joining us."

"Is Gray alright?"

Makarov frowned. "That's yet to be decided... Do you think you'll be able to carry Natsu back to the Magic Four-Wheelers? We need to inform the council of what has been taking place here and get the rest of these poor souls to safety. We'll head to Magnolia first of course; Natsu and Gray could both do with a check-up from Porlyusica."

"Aye," it was probably the most depressing 'Aye' Happy had ever said as he spread his wings and soared out of the cell, clutching hold of Natsu as if his life depended on it. The feline only preyed that this was his paranoia clouding his judgement.

Makarov couldn't lie; he admired the Salamander's dedication towards his guild and couldn't help but smile at the boy's determination. "One of these days," he sighed. "Those two are gonna get themselves killed."

* * *

Natsu furrowed his brow as he attempted to pull himself out of unconsciousness. In all honesty, the pinkette wanted nothing more than to just drift of back into a dream, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was missing something significant. He forced his eye lids open and was met with a blur of colours. The sight along was enough to make his head pound in pain, never mind the muffled voices that seemed far louder than they should be. "Would you keep it down?" He slurred, holding his temple.

"Natsu, you're awake!" Erza cried, leaning down by his bedside.

"Yeah I guess..." The Fire Wizard pushed himself into a sitting position and gasped at the multitude of bandages covering his chest and limbs. "When did I pass out?"

"Once you finished fighting Ryota," Happy chimed, curling up next to his partner. "You've been sleeping for three days."

"After that we gathered up the people in captivity and helped them return to their loved ones."

"What about the old man?"

"Who?"

"Uhh," Natsu closed his eyes, scanning his memory. "Yori something. He helped us escape."

"Sorry Natsu," Makarov frowned. "I don't remember anyone of that name."

The Salamander went silent. _I hope he's alright_ , he thought. _If it weren't for him, Gray and I would have never made it out of there_. And then it dawned on him. "Where's Gray? Is he alright?"

It was Erza who responded. "Gray was... He was in a pretty bad state when we brought him back. He's not woken up yet but the doctors said he'd make a full recovery."

"Can I see him?"

"Not until you've gotten more rest Natsu," Erza dismissed. "All you need to worry about is healing. If anything happens with Gray we'll let you know ASAP. Cana's sat with him so don't worry, he's taken care of."

Natsu reluctantly obeyed as the Scarlet Devil forced him to lie down and get more rest. How could they expect him to sleep?! Of course, his guild mates wouldn't lie about his rival's condition, but he had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he needed to see the truth with his own eyes. And just what the hell happened to Yori?!

* * *

Natsu was given the all-clear to leave to hospital two days later, though he didn't walk very far. The moment he was freed from those god forsaken bed pans, he dashed down the corridor in pursuit of his guild mate. There had been a huge lack in news for the past few days and that worried the pinkette to no end. As he burst into the recovery room and his jaw dropped at the sight. Gray was tightly tucked under sheets and an oxygen mask was firmly strapped around his face. He was mostly covered in thick, white bandages, but the skin that was uncovered had lost some of its sickening redness from before leaving an extremely pale complexion in its wake. Cana was sat at the raven's bedside, boring eyes into his skull as if she could force him to wake up.

"Any progress at all?" Natsu questioned softly. It was more of an automatic response if anything. The Ice Wizard looked so peaceful for once; the teen didn't want to disturb his slumber.

"Not much," Cana sighed, her face grim. "His temperature has gone down a lot since we found him. At least that's something." She paused. "I'll leave you guys alone for a bit."

Natsu nodded his head in thanks before the brunette rose from her chair and silently stepped out of the room, leaving the Salamander alone with his thoughts. The teen stared down at the raven locks matting his rival's forehead and then his eyes travelled down to his face, focusing solely on his closed eyelids. He hoped that if he watched long enough, he'd eventually see those deep blue eyes once again. Of course, he didn't receive such as luxury and the only reassure he had that the Ice Wizard was still alive was the slow, monotonous beeping of the heart monitor.

* * *

Natsu rarely left the hospital after that, he just couldn't help but feel responsible for Gray's condition. Makarov and several other guild members had stopped by to check on their friends and drop off food and clean clothes for him. Happy had gone to stay with Lisanna and the Strauss siblings in order to stay out of his partner's hair. The Fire Dragon hadn't exactly been in the best of moods since waking up in the hospital, but who could blame him? Whilst the pinkette had done his best to explain the events of the past few weeks, no one could even begin to imagine what the two teens had been through. Not only that, but no one knew quite what to say to comfort him, which had led most people to keep their distance. Erza, of course, had visited quite frequently to give Natsu some company, and Cana had been by a lot to make sure her team mate was recovering.

It had been a week and a half since Natsu was discharged and he was currently slumped down in a chair, eyes closed and sleeping peacefully. Gray's fingers twitched ever so slightly and were gradually curled into a fist, clenching the bed sheets with what little strength he possessed. A barely audible groan escaped his parted lips as his brow creased into a frown. The Ice Wizard's eyes flickered open and a look of confusion flew across his face. Where was he? What was going on? He blearily scanned the room, searching for answers, until his eyes fell upon a pink blur curled up in a chair. "Na...tsu," he breathed, his voice failing.

It was a good thing Natsu was a Fire Dragon Slayer or he wouldn't have picked up on the near silent voice, though he wasn't exactly sleeping in the first place. The teen shot up from his position and beamed at the sight of his rival. "Gray! You're awake! How're you feeling?"

"Like shit," he croaked, doing his best to push himself up into a sitting positon. "What happened?"

"The others found me passed out in some village and from there I was able to track you by scent back to the camp. Everyone fought and we managed to rescue you and free all the other slaves."

"Right," Gray frowned, leaning back into his pillow.

"Gray," Natsu started, fearing the answer he may receive. "Yori wasn't with any of the other slaves. Do you know what happened to him?"

The raven grimaced and Natsu instantly regretted asking. Nevertheless, Gray responded. "The Master was going to kill me if I didn't tell him who came up with the plan..." He looked away in shame, bringing a single hand up and rubbing his neck. "He had the blade to my throat but then Yori came in and confessed... The bastard killed him without a second thought."

Tears glistened in both of the boys' eyes and Natsu immediately leaned in, holding the Ice Wizard's weakened arm in a firm grip. "I'm so sorry I left you there alone," he blurted out. "This is all my fault. I should have taken you with me when we had the chance to escape and now Yori's dead because of us. And you, you're in this state because I couldn't save you."

"He was happy, you know."

"What?"

"Yori," Gray stated. "In his last moments, he was happy that he was able to help us. Not that it will put you at ease, you self-loathing bastard."

"Oh says you!" Natsu snarled, though his angered expression was quickly wiped from his face when he noticed a smirk spread across Gray's face as he chuckled at his rival's short fuse. "I'm glad you're alright," he smiled his signature toothy grin.

"Me too."

* * *

Two hours later, Makarov stopped by the hospital for his frequent visit; he turned the corner and picked up a pair of mumbled voices coming from the end of the corridor. A hopeful smile creased over his features as he picked up the pace towards Gray's hospital room. He pushed the door open just enough to peek through without either wizard noticing any kind of disturbance. The Guild Master watched in content as the two boys chattered away, throwing the occasional insult at one another every now and then. A small shuffle on the bed caught his attention and the wizard found that Natsu was tightly holding onto his friend's hand as if the teen would disappear if he let go. Makarov closed his eyes as his smile increased. _I'll come back later_ , he thought, silently shutting the door and striding back down the corridor.

* * *

 **THE END!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this story and thank you to EVERYONE who has followed/favourited/reviewed or even just taken the time to read this. Again, I'm sorry for the extended wait (lets hope it was worth it).**

 **Now I'm probably not going to post anything for a while. As I mentioned beforehand, I'm only gonna start posting stories when they're 100% complete just so I don't have to stress about meeting deadlines etc. There may be a one-shot coming soon though (hopefully) focusing on how Gray and Cana first met.**

 **On another note, who else is excited for the next FT chapter 'Broken Bonds' my guess it's about either Natsu and Gray or Erza and Irene. MAKAROV! T_T**

 **Again, thank you so much to everyone who has supported me through this and any other story I've written.**

 **Byeeeeee! :)**


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